


A division of fates

by Chromite



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Breakfast, Lion Lickers - Freeform, Science, Sleep snuggling, Steven's home, Testing - Freeform, Tour, inventions, labratory, mention of yellow diamond - Freeform, reading data, strange devices, temple rooms, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-01-12 01:08:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18435893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chromite/pseuds/Chromite
Summary: Steven and Connie are taking a tour of a lab on Homeworld, when something happens that changes things for one of them.





	1. Tour of the lab

>Connie and Steven had been invited by Yellow Diamond to view the latest projects Homeworld was working on since Era Three started.  
>The pair was being led through the labs by an enthusiastic Pearl, her orange hair ruffled and messy, safety goggles fastened over her eyes, a light orange lab coat covering her thin frame. An orange gem rested upon her left shoulder.  
>"Oh, I can't wait to show you what I've been working on! I spent a lot of time watching my Creedite work on new devices you know! She never took things far enough, always played it too safe. She never saw the potential in what she was creating! I'm so glad I've been given the opportunity to do what she was never willing to!"  
>Connie leaned in close to Steven and whispered. "Steven, are you sure we're safe? This Pearl seems a bit.....unbalanced."  
>Steven shot her a smile before whispering back. "Don't worry Connie, everything will be fine! Look how happy she is, I'm sure she knows what she's doing."  
>"I hope you're right Steven."  
>Connie grasped Steven's hand tightly as they walked down the hall, having to jog to keep up with the orange Pearl's swift movements.  
>"Ah, here we are, my lab! I love saying that, my lab, my lab, my lab! It fills my form with joy and excitement whenever I say it!"  
>The orange Pearl moved her hand swiftly along the nearby panel, her motions too fast and complex for Steven or Connie to follow entirely.  
>The Pearl giggled in glee as the doors slid open. "Come, come! I have so much to show you!"  
>The trio stepped into the dark lab. The Pearl clapped her hands together, a broad smile on her face as she did so. As the doors closed behind Steven and Connie, the lights in the lab began to glow, dimly at first, but quickly becoming brilliant, lighting up the lab.  
>"Wow." Steven and Connie said in unison and the gadgets on the wall became perfectly viewable. Equally viewable was the piles of parts that laid around the lab.  
>The Pearl turned to face the pair, still smiling. "Oh, please be mindful of the spare parts, I didn't get a chance to clean before being notified of your arrival."  
>"It's okay, we did arrive rather quickly." Connie smiled sheepishly.  
>"Yellow sounded really excited for us to see the newest technology. You must have really impressed her with something." a broad grin spread along Steven's face.  
>The Pearl blushed a light orange. "R-really? I think I know what she was so happy about. Hold on, I'll show you." She rushed over to where her inventions were hanging proudly on the wall, and pulled a long pole off the wall, holding it gently in her hands.  
>"This beauty is the next generation of destabilization technology! With it's extended reach, and the capability to shoot balls of energy, close ranged dissipation is a thing of the past! But the real beauty of this device rests in it's capability to disrupt other forms of technology! It'll be invaluable if we ever run into a......less agreeable species that has technology on par with our own."  
>"Well, I can't say I approve of hurting gems, but that other feature sounds cool!" Steven beamed in excitement at the Pearl.  
>"I guess you still need something to deal with the more troublesome population." Connie nodded before she caught sight of something. "Hey Pearl, what does this do?"  
>The Pearl looked over at what Connie was pointing at. It was a large grey pyramid, comprised of four identical sides.  
>The Pearl's face fell a bit. "Oh, that? It was suppose to be a device capable of replicating gems, to create four gems from a single one. I haven't gotten it to work yet. I've made some modifications from the last test, but haven't had the chance to test it."  
>"Oh, that's a shame." Connie said as she began to move away from the device.  
>"Connie, look out!" Steven shouted as he saw where Connie was about to step.  
>"Steven, what do you....." Connie looked down right as she laid her foot on a long, round cylinder that was resting on the floor. She felt herself lose balance as the cylinder rolled under her weight.  
>Steven and the Pearl looked at Connie in horror as she fell backwards towards the shelves of unfinished inventions. Connie let out a gasp as her back impacted one of the shelves.  
>For a moment, everything was still. Then the trio heard a cracking sound. The shelf Connie had landed against broke under her weight, sending the girl falling to the floor, a torrent of unfinished devices falling on top of her. Among them was the grey pyramid Connie had inquired about.  
>A slight crackle sounded through the room as the grey device flared to life. Steven started moving towards Connie as the device began to glow, resting on top of Connie's chest.  
>A blinding light filled the room, a force pushing Steven and the Pearl off of their feet. The light started white, but quickly shifted into a yellow, then a blue, and finally settling on pink before receding.  
>Steven rubbed his eyes as he stood back up, swiftly making his way towards where Connie had fell.  
>"Connie?! Connie are you oka-" Steven was stunned silent, his eyes widening as he got a clear view of where Connie had fell.  
>"Steven? What happened? Wait, what?!?" four voices said in unison as four figures sat up.  
>In the place where Connie had fallen, four Connies sat instead. Each was identical to one another, with the exception of the hue of their hair and skin and the color of the pyramids that sat in their laps.  
>One Connie had pale white skin, her hair a light grey, her eyes had grey pupils and darker grey irises. Another Connie had light blue skin, with dark blue hair and eyes. The third Connie had brilliant yellow skin, with orange hair and green eyes. The fourth and final Connie sat with light pink skin, darker pink hair, and bright brown eyes.  
>The Pearl caught up to Steven and gasped. "Oh my! The device, it worked on the girl?! This is wonderful!" then the Pearl's face fell a bit as she spotted the four devices in each Connie's lap. "Oh, oh no, this is bad."  
>"What's bad?" the Connies chimed in unison, concerned looks spreading across their four faces.  
>"I, I had intended that device to create copy gems. It was suppose to determine what court the gem belonged to, and create copies in different colors for the other three courts. But you, you aren't a gem! You had no court, so instead of leaving one original and three copies, it......it must have split the original into you four!"  
>The Connies all sat with their mouths open in disbelief. Steven turned to look at the Pearl. "Is, is there any way to fix this, to get Connie back to normal?"  
>"Th-there might be, but it could take a while. The device split into four identical devices that share a color with each Connie. Maybe if I reunite the devices somehow......"  
>The white Connie stood up and placed her white pyramid on the table. "Here, please, do what you can."  
>The other three Connies looked at each other for a moment before the yellow and blue Connies placed their devices on the table next to the white one.  
>The pink Connie clutched her device to her chest as she remained seated. "How can you three be okay with this? Don't you realize what will happen?"  
>"It doesn't matter what happens to us pinkie, if we don't come back together, there's no telling what will happen to all of us." the yellow Connie had a somber look on her face.  
>"She's right." the Pearl spoke up in a somber tone. "There's no telling what will happen to the four of you, the device was never meant to be used on organics."  
>The blue Connie whispered. "Please, this is for the best pinkie. We need to let her study these devices, if not to bring us together again, than to at least ensure we continue existing as we are."  
>The pink Connie looked to her blue and yellow counterparts before she stood up, and placed her pink device shakily onto the table.  
>Steven pulled the pink Connie into a hug, the girl still shaking nervously in his arms "I promise, everything is going to be okay." He looked at the other three "For all of you, I won't let anything bad happen to you."  
>"That's all well and good, but what are we going to do about mom and dad?" the yellow one spoke in a loud, clear tone.  
>"Tell them the truth? I'm sure they'll let us stay with them still, we're all their daughter." the blue one still spoke in a whisper, yet there was a tone of confidence within what she said.  
>"No offense, but maybe you should all stay in the temple until we get this all sorted? You should be close by in case we need to get to Homeworld quickly." Steven's voice held a tone of concern as he spoke.  
>The four Connies paused for a moment before the white one spoke up. "Only if mom and dad are okay with it."  
>Steven nodded an agreement. "Come on, let's leave Pearl to her research. Thanks for the tour Pearl."  
>"Y-your welcome. I'm sorry it ended like this, I'll keep you up to date on my discoveries."  
>Steven and the four Connies walked out of the lab, the white and pink Connies each holding on to one of Steven's hands, the yellow and blue Connies walking behind the trio and holding hands with each other.  
>"So, who gets to share the bed with Steven first?" the blue Connie spoke in a normal tone for the first time.  
>Before the other Connies could say anything, Steven spoke up. "I'll sleep in a sleeping bag, you four can take turns sharing the bed in pairs. It's the only fair way to do it."  
>The four Connies cried out in unison. "Aww man, but I wanted to snuggle with you!"  
>They shared a stunned expression with each other before they began giggling. The white Connie spoke up. "Maybe we can work out a rotation after everyone gets settled in. We still need an answer from mom and dad. anyways."  
>"Okay then, to the ship!" Steven spoke up and picked up his pace, leaving the four Connies behind.  
>The four girls shared a look before crying out in unison. "Steven wait for us!"  



	2. Human reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and the Connies breaking the news of what happened on Homeworld to Connie's parents.

>Steven maneuvered his large pink spaceship through the sky on Earth, putting it down to land gently on the beach in front of his house. A large pink orb emerged from the top of the ship and opened up, revealing Steven and the four Connies.  
>"Here we are, back home! I hope the gems are here, it'll be a good practice run for your parents if we can tell them now." Steven began walking towards his house, the other Connies following behind in single file.  
>"Here or not, I still think we should tell our parents first Steven." the white Connie had her arms crossed across her chest, a sour look on her face.  
>The blue Connie looked over to her white counterpart and whispered. "We're already here, there's no harm in speaking to them first if they're home. They might have something to help us come back together, if we're lucky enough."  
>"Hah, if our problem was so easy to solve, we'd be back together already!" the yellow Connie spoke in a loud tone, an annoyed expression on her face.  
>The pink Connie spoke meekly, her body shaking. "I just want to break the news quickly so we can start figuring out what to do."  
>"Don't worry Connies, everything will be alright, you'll see!" Steven opened the door excitedly. His face fell a bit as he looked around, the home was still dark, no signs of movement anywhere.   
>"Uh, stay here for a minute, okay? They might be in the temple, I'll try to get their attention."   
>Steven walked quickly across the floor of his home towards the temple door. He knocked loudly upon it, tapping the stones upon the door that matched Amethyst's, Garnet's, and Pearl's gems. "Pearl! Garnet! Amethyst! Anyone in there? I need your help, something happened on Homeworld!"  
>After a few minutes of silence, Steven grumbled to himself, walking back towards his front door and the waiting Connies.   
>"Sorry Connies, it looks like they aren't home, they must be on a mission. Guess we're going to see Dr. and Mr. Maheswaran first after all."  
>A smile crossed the white Connie's face. "Perfect, I didn't like the idea of delaying the talk with them anyways."  
>"How will we all get to our house Steven?" the blue Connie asked in a hushed tone, gesturing to the other Connies.  
>"We can take a few pods from my mom's old ship. We'll take three pods, two of you per pod and I'll lead the way in the third."  
>"Why don't we fit three in one pod with one of us riding with you Steven?" the yellow Connie spoke up, saying what was on the other Connies's minds.  
>"Because if I do that the other three that don't ride with me might get jealous. This way, we keep things even."  
>The four Connies paused for a moment before reluctantly agreeing. They all wanted to spend time alone with Steven, but none of them wanted to upset the other Connies.   
>Steven and the four Connies loaded up upon the ship once more to retrieve the needed pods. Steven loaded himself into one, leaving the four Connies to divide into groups of two for themselves. The pink Connie paired up with the yellow Connie, and the white Connie paired off with the blue one.   
>The three pink orbs rose out of the top of the ship before flying off towards the Maheswaran residence, high enough to avoid being noticed from the ground by the casual person. It only took a few moments before the orbs landed in front of the Maheswaran residence, opening up to release Steven and the four Connies.   
>Steven looked back at the four girls nervously. "Well, I guess this is it. Connie, err, Connies, are you all sure your parents are home right now?"  
>The pink Connie nodded her head nervously. "Yeah, mom had the day off and dad should be off work and home by now."  
>Steven let out a deep sigh as he stood in front of the door. "Guess there's no more putting it off then. Are you four ready?"  
>The four Connies nodded at Steven. Steven steeled his nerves and knocked upon the door.   
>After a minute of uncertain silence, the door opens revealing a smiling Priyanka. "Connie, welcome back! How was....." Priyanka's face fell and twisted in confusion as she first caught sight of Steven and then the sight of the four colored copies of her daughter. "Wait, Steven? Connie?! What happened to you?! What happened to her Steven?!"  
>Steven could hear Doug's voice in the background. "Honey, is something wrong out there?" He fidgeted nervously as he looked Priyanka in the eyes. "Dr. M-maheswaran, can w-we come in? It's a......complicated story."  
>Priyanka glanced over the copies of her daughter once more then returned her gaze to Steven. "You had better explain it all young man. Don't leave ANYTHING out or so help me......"  
>"Believe me, leaving things out is the last thing I want to do right now." Steven entered the Maheswaran home, the four Connies following behind him. Priyanka sighed as she closed the door behind the pink Connie, the last one to enter.   
>Doug watched curiously as Steven entered the living room area. "Steven, what was my wife.....oh. Oh dear......" His mouth hung open in disbelief as he saw the copies of his daughter filing into the living room, starting with the white Connie and ending with the pink one, his wife directly behind the pink copy of Connie.   
>Priyanka stood with her arms crossed in the center of the room, the pink Connie sitting next to her father on one couch, Doug wrapping his arm around her instinctively to comfort her, sensing she was seeking close contact with one of her parents, while the other three sat upon the other couch, the white Connie in the middle, the blue one to her right and the yellow one to her left, leaving Steven nowhere to sit as he faced down Priyanka's gaze. "Alright young man, start talking. What happened on Homeworld this time, and why are there four Connies?"  
>Steven swallowed hard as he glanced towards Doug and then back at Priyanka. "W-well Dr. Maheswaran, it's like this...."  
>Steven proceeded to tell the account of what had happened on his and Connie's latest trip to Homeworld. He could see the shock on both of Connie's parents faces as he got to the part with the pyramid device and what had happened to it. He brought his account to a close with them heading back to Earth. "We wanted to talk to the gems first, see if they had something that could help, but they weren't home. Dr. and Mr. Maheswaran, I promise we'll do everything we can to get the Connies back together into one person, but we need to keep them close to the warp pads and the temple for now. We need to be able to get them to someone that can help if something starts going......wrong with one or more of them."  
>Priyanka and Doug both let out a sigh. Priyanka spoke up first. "Steven, I'm not happy this happened, at all. When this is over, Connie's not allowed to go back to the labs on Homeworld, there's too much potential for things to go wrong." She glanced around at the copies of her daughter before continuing. "Do you all understand that?"  
>The four Connies chorused in unison. "Yes mom." while Steven nodded his head "Yes Dr. Maheswaran."  
>"Good. Now, about them staying over at the temple-"  
>"Honey wait, aren't you missing something important here?" Doug spoke up in a serious tone, looking right at his wife.  
>Priyanka looked at Doug in confusion. "What? What could I possibly be missing? Our daughter was split into four people!"  
>"That's my point Pri, she's four people right now. We need proper names for them all, we can't just call them white, blue, pink, and yellow, can we?"  
>Priyanka paused and thought for a moment. "Why not? This won't be forever, colors would be the simplest way to refer to them."  
>"What if it is forever honey? If the gems can't bring her back together, they'll be stuck the way they are. Best for them to start getting used to names now, in case the worst happens." Doug could feel the pink Connie squirming next to him in discomfort as he motioned to the other three copies of his daughter. "Don't you four think so too?"  
>The white Connie spoke up first. "I don't mind if you call me White, but a proper name is equally acceptable."  
>The yellow Connie spoke up next. "It's only logical to call us by new identifiers, be it our colors or something new."  
>The blue and pink Connies looked at each other for a moment. The blue Connie spoke in a quiet tone. "I....don't want to be just a color. Please, give me a proper name."  
>The pink Connie shook next to her father as she looked towards him with pleading eyes. "I, I don't w-want to stop existing a-as myself, t-to be h-honest. A n-name w-would be nice, make m-me feel.....l-like everything w-will be okay."  
>Priyanka looked at the copies of her daughter in surprise, not expecting them to be alright with getting new names. She sighed before uncrossing her arms. "Alright, I'll go get the name books, I'm sure I put them up, just in case we ever had another child." Priyanka left the room to search for the books.  
>Steven fidgeted uncertainly. On one hand, he was excited the girls would get their own names. On the other, giving them names felt like they were giving up before any solutions could be explored. Steven couldn't blame Doug for thinking it would be permanent, he had been informed of the gem experiments Priyanka encountered and about how gems had been corrupted on Earth. To humans, everything that happened involving gems had permanent effects.  
>After a few minutes of awkward silence, Priyanka came back into the room with four books, handing one to each copy of her daughter. "If you're going to get new names, you should at least pick them out yourselves and have some control over what's happened to you." Priyanka gave them all a sad smile before she sat upon the arm of the couch next to Doug, watching the girls flip through the books intently, scanning the names within for ones they liked.   
>The pink Connie was the first to find one, speaking in a timid tone "I, I th-think I'd like to be called Zinnia, please?"   
>The yellow Connie was next, proclaiming her choice with confidence. "Call me Marigold."  
>The blue Connie was third, blushing a dark blue as she spoke. "I'm happy with Veronica."  
>The white Connie took the longest to choose her name. "Since the others all chose names, instead of White, I'll go by Jasmine."  
>Doug smiled at each of the copies of his daughter. "Those are lovely names. Don't you think so, honey?"  
>"I still think this is unneeded, but if it makes them happy, we'll call them by those names until we get the four back together into our Connie. Now, about them staying at the temple in Steven's home." Priyanka signed before she continued. "Can you even arrange comfortable sleeping for everyone, Steven?"  
>"I'm sure Amethyst has a spare mattress or two in her room that we can use, and I've got a few spare sheet sets in case Lion starts clawing at them. Worst case, they take turns sharing the bed and sleeping bags while I sleep on the couch."  
>Priyanka glances to the four girls once more. "You four have no problems being away from your parents?"  
>Zinnia spoke out in a nervous tone. "I, I'll miss you both for sure, b-but we all n-need to be close t-to the gems, in case s-something goes wrong."  
>Veronica spoke next in a hushed tone. "I wish you could both come with us, but you have jobs you need to attend. We'll be back as soon as we can, but Zinnia is right, we need to be there, together."  
>Jasmine and Marigold both nodded in agreement, Marigold speaking up in a confident tone. "Don't worry mom, dad, I'll be there to protect them all!" Jasmine rolled her eyes before smiling. "I'll be there to ensure Marigold and the others don't get in over their heads."   
>Marigold shot Jasmine a glare. "Hey, we'd never get in over our heads!"  
>Priyanka held her right hand up. "Okay, don't get into a fight, this is stressful for all of us. Steven, promise me you'll keep me and Doug informed of everything that's going on while they stay with you. I do mean everything young man, don't do anything you don't want to tell me."  
>"I promise, I'll let you know every time there's a development in the situation. Come on Zinnia, Marigold, Veronica, Jasmine. Let's go back to Beach City, maybe the gems are back by now! Mr. and Dr. Maheswaran, I hope I have good news the next time I talk with you both."  
>The group bid farewell to Connie's parents and left the residence, reboarding the orbs to return to Beach City and Steven's home.   
>Steven smiled to himself as he led the way in his pod. "That wasn't so bad. One set of parents down......and one to go. Hoo boy, I hope the gems can take it as well as the Maheswarans did."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Giving them all names was important, I'm not sure if I'll have them come back together or not, and leaving them as White, Yellow, Blue and Pink wasn't something I wanted to do. I hope you can all enjoy where I take this ride, I'll be doing at least three more parts in the coming days before I take a break and gather my thoughts further. 
> 
> In case it isn't clear, here's the breakdown of their names for quick reference.   
> Yellow: Marigold  
> Blue: Veronica  
> White: Jasmine  
> Pink: Zinnia


	3. Gem reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gems react to the news of what happened to Connie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick guide of the Connies, for those who don't want to constantly flip chapters and might have trouble remembering.  
> Marigold: Brilliant yellow skin, with orange hair and green eyes.   
> Veronica: Light blue skin, with dark blue hair and eyes.  
> Jasmine: Pale white skin, her hair is light grey, her eyes have grey pupils and darker grey irises  
> Zinnia: Light pink skin, darker pink hair, and bright brown eyes.

>The three pods touched down upon the beach, releasing Steven, Jasmine, Marigold, Zinnia, and Veronica upon the beach before returning to the large pink spaceship they originated from. Steven looked back at the four copies of his friend and smiled. "Okay, we're back! Hope the gems are home, but even if they aren't, we can start setting up the sleeping area for you four!  
>Jasmine sighed as she ran a hand through her light grey hair. "I really hope they're home Steven, I want to get this done so we can focus of figuring out what will happen to me, to us." She motioned towards the other three copies of Connie as she finished her statement.   
>Marigold narrowed her green eyes at Jasmine. "We'll have to deal with it if they aren't, there's nothing we can do if they're out on important business, is there?"  
>Veronica's dark blue hair rippled as she stepped between Marigold and Jasmine, speaking in a slightly louder whisper from her usual tone. "Please stop you two, this is stressful enough without us fighting with each other. Let's all relax and take this one step at a time, okay?"  
>Zinnia had moved over towards Steven, grasping at his hand desperately with her hand. "Do you th-think everything's going to be okay with the gems? Wh-what if they don't want us here?"  
>Steven smiled as he ran his hand through Zinnia's pink hair. "C'mon, you have Connie's memories, you know they'll let you all stay! If they don't, I'm sure Yellow, Blue, and White would let us stay on Homeworld for a while until this is all sorted. So please, don't worry."  
>Zinnia sighed in relief. "I know, y-you're right Steven. No more worries, no more delays. Let's get in there and talk to the gems."  
>Jasmine, Marigold, and Veronica walked up to stand next to Zinnia. Jasmine spoke up once more. "That's the spirit. So Steven, are you going to lead the way in, or should I?"  
>Steven blushed slightly in embarrassment. "Right, no more stalling, let's get in there and see if they're home!" Steven walked up the stairs to his house and entered through the door, the four girls close behind him. He smiled widely as he caught sight of Pearl. Garnet, and Amethyst in the living room. "Guys, I'm home! I'm glad you're all here, there's something we need to talk about."  
>Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl all shot Steven a worried look as he entered the house. Pearl spoke up in a nervous tone. "Steven, are you okay? Did something happen on HomeWHAT THE STARS HAPPENED TO CONNIE?!" Pearl yelled out as the four copies of Connie entered the home, Amethyst's mouth hung open in shock as Garnet slowly lowered her visor, looking over the four girls in confusion.   
>"Steven, explain, now." Garnet spoke with a serious tone, her mind reeling at the sight before her.   
>"Woo, way to go Steven! You got those Homeworld prudes to make you copies to take home huh? How'd Connie react?" Amethyst laughed as she finished, assuming the girls were part of some joke or something the Diamonds gave Steven from some sort of misunderstanding. The four girls looked away from the gems nervously.  
>Steven shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Well guys, here's what happened...." Steven proceeded to tell the gems about how the tour on Homeworld went, and what had happened with Connie. Amethyst's smile fades as she heard the part where Connie split into four different people, realizing that Steven and the girls must be feeling anxious. Pearl's tension eased up a little as the story continued. Garnet sat silently, taking the story in with little emotion showing.  
>Steven wrapped up the retelling of what happened on Homeworld. "We landed in front of the house and tried finding you guys first, but you weren't here, so we went to the Maheswarans first to break the news to them. Dr. and Mr. Maheswaran took the news well, and agreed to let them stay here while we get this sorted out, just in case we need to get to Homeworld quickly. By the way, where were you guys?"  
>"We were out to capture one of the cluster experiments that was loose Steven." Garnet spoke her reply evenly. "She's floating in the temple now, with the rest of them."  
>"Oh, well you're here now and that's what's important!. Oh shoot, I forgot, these four picked out names for themselves while visiting their parents!" Steven looked back at the four girls. "Should I do introductions, or do you all want to do it?"  
>"We can do it Steven, it's only proper." Jasmine stepped forward, her light grey hair shifting from her fast movement. "I decided to call myself Jasmine. It's nice to see you all."  
>Marigold stepped forward next, determination in her green eyes. "I'm Marigold, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure nothing bad happens to us."  
>"I'm Veronica, I hope we can get this sorted quickly. I know you're all anxious about what's happened." Veronica spoke in a whisper, her eyes darting between the gems, gauging reactions.  
>Zinnia stepped forward last, her body shaking from nervousness. "I-I-I'm Zinnia. I-I hope us st-staying here is a-alright."  
>Pearl smiled at the four girls. "Of course it's alright! Stars, you all must be exhausted from your ordeal, I can't imagine what it'd be like, being split into four different people! Hmm, I wonder if you all retained an equal fighting skill level. You must allow me to see for myself, knowing how your capabilities were divided could help us bring you four back together!"  
>"Pearl is right, we need to determine exactly how Connie was split between you four. This is going to get tricky, there are many uncertainties in the future. The more uncertainty we can remove, the better." Garnet reformed her visor as she spoke, not wanted the others to see her center eye glowing as she tried looking into what futures were possible.  
>"Am I the only one excited here? We've got FOUR Connies! Man, we've got to have some fun pranking people around town, imagine the looks on people's faces! You'll help me out, right girls?" Amethyst's worry had shifted to excitement, this situation had some promising possibilities for fun.  
>Steven sighed as he looked at the gems. "Guys, I know you want to test right away, or have fun, but can't we give them some time first? They should get a few days to get to know themselves before we start putting them in stressful situations."  
>A silence filled the room for a moment before Garnet spoke up once more. "That's acceptable, having them deal with this themselves for a time will tell us about them as well."  
>Amethyst let out a disappointing whine. "Aw maaaaan, I really wanted to get to the fun stuff! Oh well, maybe later." Then an idea came to her. "Oh wait, you guys are going to need a place to sleep! I think I have a few mattresses in good condition that aren't buried, let me go get them!" Amethyst rushed off to the temple, her door opening up to her room.   
>Pearl let out a heavy sigh. "I suppose combat testing can wait a few days, while they adjust. We still need to do something while we wait on that."  
>Garnet looked over to Pearl. "Peridot is good with machines and Homeworld technology. Someone needs to talk to her about this. Pearl."  
>"Oh alright, I'll go tell her what's going on." Pearl left the beach house to go see Peridot.  
>Steven looked at Garnet. "Garnet, is everything going to be okay?"  
>Garnet stood up and walked towards Steven, kneeling down as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "Steven, I can't answer that right now. There are too many unknowns to see the future clearly." She looked over his shoulder at the four girls behind him. "I promise you all, we'll do whatever we can to keep you safe, to bring you back together or make sure you stay the way you are."  
>Jasmine smiled at Garnet. "Thanks Garnet, I know this isn't easy for you all. Your best is all we ask for."  
>Veronica whispered softly. "No matter what happens, I know it'll work out for the best in the end."  
>Marigold flashed a wide grin. "Nothing's going to keep me down for long! Let me know if you need an extra hand on anything!"  
>Zinnia shook a bit as she spoke. "I st-still don't like this, b-but I know y-you all n-need to understand wh-what's going on t-to have any hope of bringing us b-back together."  
>Garnet nodded at the four girls before she stood back up. "You five have fun. Amethyst should be out shortly with that mattress. Try to relax." She turned around and walked over to the temple door, the door opening up to the burning room to let her in.  
>Steven moved over to the closet and pulled out a few boxes of board games and puzzles. He looked at the four girls expectantly. "So, what should we do first?"  
>The four girls chimed out in unison. "Anything but Monopoly!" They looked between each other before they began to laugh, Steven soon laughing himself.   
>The five decided to work on a few puzzles in the hour before it was time to sleep, wanting to save the board games for another time. As Garnet had predicted, Amethyst came out a few minutes later with two clean mattresses under her arms. "Here you go girls and Steven, I'll leave the sleeping arrangements to you guys. Let me know if you need someone to liven things up!"   
>"Thanks Amethyst, we will." Steven turned his attention back to the girls. "So, who's sleeping next to who?"  
>Zinnia spoke up in a surprisingly even tone. "We should put the mattresses next to each other and sleep around Steven tonight. I'm sure we'd all feel safer being close to each other, right?"  
>The three other girls looked upon their pink counterpart in shock. Jasmine spoke out in a sputter. "Zinnia, th-that's brilliant! Wh-why didn't I think of that?"  
>Steven sighed before shrugging his shoulders. "Okay, but just for tonight. I don't want the gems getting any strange ideas, especially Amethyst."  
>The four girls nodded reluctantly. The five children finished the puzzle then began positioning the two mattresses in a way that would allow all five to lay upon them comfortably and allow the sheets to cover all of them. Zinnia curled up next to Steven, wrapping her arms around him and snuggling into his back. It was only right she got first pick, since it had been her idea. The other three looked between each other before rock-paper-scissoring for the position at Steven's front. Veronica grinned as her paper covered Marigold's and Jasmine's rocks, taking her place and snuggling her back into Steven's front. Jasmine took the spot near Steven's feet, leaving Marigold the spot at Steven's head.   
>The group slept soundly through the night, each one dreaming of what the next day would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the reactions are finally out of the way. Now we can get into other things with the girls.


	4. Morning Breakfast, realizations, experimentation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven wakes up to find Pearl making breakfast for him and the copies of Connie. The girls realize they forgot to bring something important.
> 
> Later in the day, Amethyst makes a surprising suggestion to the group still at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick guide of the Connies, for those who don't want to constantly flip chapters and might have trouble remembering.  
> Marigold: Brilliant yellow skin, with orange hair and green eyes.  
> Veronica: Light blue skin, with dark blue hair and eyes.  
> Jasmine: Pale white skin, her hair is light grey, her eyes have grey pupils and darker grey irises  
> Zinnia: Light pink skin, darker pink hair, and bright brown eyes.

>Morning had dawned in Beach City, the sun was shining brightly upon the town. Pearl had prepared pancakes for Steven, Jasmine, Veronica, Marigold, and Zinnia, the smell wafting through the beach house, lifting the spirits of the children as they woke one by one.  
>Steven had been the first to wake up. He carefully removed Zinnia's pink arms from around his body before slowly getting up, being careful not to disturb any of their sleep.  
>He yawned as he looked over at Pearl in the kitchen, smiling widely. "Morning Pearl, the pancakes smell good. Thanks for making us all breakfast."  
>Pearl smiled back at Steven. "Well, it is the most important meal of the day! Don't want you five missing out on it, you need energy for today!"  
>"Pearl, you're not going back on what we agreed to yesterday, are you? They need time to adjust before we put them through anything stressful."  
>"Don't worry Steven, I didn't forget. Actually......I'm suppose to pick something up from Peridot today, something that will feed her data about the girls."  
>Steven's expression turned to one of worried. "It's not going to be painful for them, is it?"  
>"Certainly not, I would never allow any harm to come to my best pupil, err, pupils I guess? I had Peridot whip up a few surveillance drones instead. Hope they won't be too distracting."  
>Steven thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. "I'm sure they won't mind, beats something they have to wear or taking samples painfully from them."  
>Pearl's face fell a bit. "Well......we will need samples Steven, just not right now. We need to know as much as we can after all."  
>"Pearl......promise me you'll make Peridot stick to blood and cheek swabs. No bone or muscle samples unless it's really needed."  
>"I'll let her know Steven, I promise."  
>"Thanks Pearl." Steven turned away from the counter and headed into the bathroom, where he proceeded to clean up for the day. He kept his shower shorter than normal, realizing his four guests would need to get clean too. As he stepped out of the shower in his new clothes, he saw the four girls standing up, with worried looks on their faces.  
>"Good morning Jasmine, Veronica, Marigold, Zinnia. Something wrong?"  
>Veronica blushed a deep blue as she shuffled her feet, speaking in a hushed tone. "Steven, we, well......in all the excitement of yesterday, we, uh...."  
>Jasmine sighed before she spoke up, a pink blush on her cheeks. "We forgot to grab spare clothing before we left our house."  
>The other two shuffled their feet awkwardly, unsure of what to do or say."  
>Steven looked at the girls in confusion. "Is that all? It's okay, we can get Lion to take two of you over there after breakfast. It'll make showers today easier, we need to boost the water heater if five of us are going to use it every morning for a while."  
>The four girls all look at Steven in surprise. Marigold smacked her palm to her face. "We should have thought of that, of course we can use Lion to get home quickly."  
>Zinna breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm gl-glad we don't have to take the bus in dirty clothes. Come on g-girls, let's eat and th-then we can choose wh-whose going over to get our clothes."  
>The five proceeded over to the kitchen counter, sitting upon the stools as Pearl dished up a few pancakes for each of them. Each one dug into their breakfast eagerly, their stomachs rumbling from morning hunger.  
>Jasmine and Veronica finished their plates first, both volunteering to go retrieve clothing for their extended stay at Steven's home. Steven sat his fork down and pulled a few Lion Lickers from the freezer before leading the girls outside.  
>"Lion! Where are you, you goofball? We need your help!" Steven looked around for a bit before he heard gentle snoring coming from under the porch of his home.  
>Steven smiled widely as he saw the pink cat curled up next to one of the giant fingers under the house. Steven gently placed his hands upon the feline as he rocked the cat's body back and forward. With a wide yawn, Lion uncurled and stretched out, an annoyed look on his face.  
>"Lion buddy! I know it's early but Jasmine and Veronica need to get over to the Maheswaran house to pick up some clothes. Here, you can have this Lion Licker now, one of them will give you one when you get there, and a third when you leave to bring them back here. I'll give you three extra Lickers where you get back here. Sound good buddy?"  
>Lion tilted his head at the girls in confusion before looking back at Steven, nodding his head and opening his mouth. Steven unwrapped a Lion Licker and tossed it to Lion, landing it strait into his waiting mouth. Lion chewed it a little before swallowing, then moving out onto the open beach.  
>Steven handed each girl a Lion Licker. "Remember, give him one when you get there and one when you want to come back. Take your time and make sure you get anything else you might want while you're there, okay?"  
>Jasmine spoke confidently. "Don't worry Steven, we'll get what we need and want and be back before the day is done. Have fun with Zinnia and Marigold."  
>"See you later Steven. We'll let mom and dad know what's happened so far too." Veronica added in a whisper.  
>The two girls climbed upon Lion's back carefully, grabbing on tight to the feline's body. With a loud roar, a portal appeared in front of the cat. He backed up a few steps before leaping in, carrying the two girls along with him.  
>Steven hummed to himself as he walked back up the stairs. "What can we do while those two are gone that won't be too personal? Oh, I know!"  
\-------  
>It had been a few hours since Jasmine and Veronica had left to retrieve clothing and other things from the Maheswaran residence. Steven had taken Zinnia and Marigold up to his bed, the three sitting in front of the TV playing a racing game. The game featured characters from Steven's favorite show, Crying Breakfast friends. A tear gauge sat next to each racer, filling faster the further behind a character was, or when they got hit with an attack item. Steven was currently in fifth, with Zinnia sitting in third and Marigold sitting in second. It was the last lap, the race was close. Steven smirked as his tear gauge filled, Marigold moving into first and Zinnia moving into second. He activated the gauge, causing all but two racers to start crying. Pear, Steven's character, moved swiftly past a crying egg into fourth, past fork into third, then past Spilled Milk, Zinnia's character, into second. Marigold's character, Spoon, was unaffected, holding a full glass and taking a swig of it before gaining a boost.  
>Steven looked at Marigold in surprise as the boost carried her to victory, Steven and Zinnia finishing right behind. "Aww man, you had the "Your tears are delicious" save item! I wound have had that race otherwise!"  
>Marigold shot Steven a smug grin. "What can I say, when you're near the end and get a save item, best to hold on to it. You two up for another round?"  
>Before either could respond, the three heard the temple door opening up, Amethyst walking out of her room in a hurry. She glanced up at the trio and smiled.  
>"Hey Steven, Marigold, Zinnia. Where are the other two?"  
>Steven smiled at Amethyst. "Hey Amethyst, Jasmine and Veronica went to get some clothes for the four of them to use while they're here, as well as some other things they might want. Did you need us all for something?"  
>Amethyst put on her best serious face. "Steven, I had an idea on how we can bring them back together into one Connie!"  
>The three children looked at Amethyst, eyes widening in surprise. Marigold spoke up first. "Really, you think there's an easy way to get us back together?! What is it?"  
>Zinnia shook nervously as she spoke up. "It...it won't h-hurt, will it?"  
>"I would hope it wouldn't hurt, it's fusion! Steven, why don't you just fuse with them all and then....y'know, leave the fusion? We might end up with a giant Connie, but shrinking her should be easy, right? Easier than forcing four people into one person."  
>Steven's eyes lit up. "Ohmygosh Amethyst, that's a great idea! Zinnia, Marigold, do you want to try it out now, or wait for them to get back?"  
>"I...I th-think we sh-should try it Steven. If it w-works, there's no more worries, right?" Zinnia was still shaking, but steadying her resolve.  
>Marigold smiled broadly. "There's no harm trying with just us. Come on, let's go outside where we won't break anything."  
>Marigold stood up and rushed out of the beach house excitedly. Zinnia and Steven following close behind her. Amethyst smiled as she followed behind the trio, excited to see what would happen.  
>Steven, Zinnia, and Marigold stood upon the beach, Zinnia to Steven's right, Marigold to Steven's left, each girl holding one of Steven's hands as well as each other's in a circle. The three spun around for a moment before Steven's gem began to glow, his light spreading to Zinnia and Marigold. Amethyst began to jump in excitement, her idea was working!  
>Then things took a turn. Their bodies were glowing, but they weren't coming together. Pink and yellow lines showed up upon their forms before the glowing stopped. A sudden force pushed the three apart, pain shooting through all of their bodies as the lines faded from each of their bodies, leaving the kids panting in pain and fear, and leaving Amethyst confused.  
>Amethyst broke out of her confusion and jumped off the deck and rushed to Steven, who was the closest to the house. "Oh crap, are you three okay?! What happened, it looked like it was working there for a moment."  
>Steven groaned as he sat up. "I think I'm okay Amethyst. It was working but then something......weird happened. It felt like something didn't want Zinnia and Marigold back together, like it wanted them to stay apart. Ohmygosh, Zinnia, Marigold! Are you both okay?!" Steven glanced frantically between the spots the two girls had landed.  
>Both let out their own groans before sitting up. Marigold spoke up first. "I think I'm okay, just a bit sore. Figures it wouldn't be that easy to get back together, that Homeworld technology really did a number on us!"  
>"It w-was a good Idea Amethyst, th-thanks for t-telling us. Now we kn-know we need more than f-fusion to fix this, right?" Zinnia gave Amethyst a sympathetic look as she spoke.  
>"Yeah, I guess so, but man, I was hoping this would work so we could get things back to normal. Sorry you guys got hurt a bit testing out my idea."  
>"It's okay Amethyst, don't worry." The three spoke in unison, stopping and staring at each other before breaking out into laughter. Amethyst couldn't help smiling and laughing along after a moment.  
>"If you guys are able to laugh, things can't be all that bad. You three have fun, I'm heading back to my room to see if I can find anything interesting to eat!" Amethyst waved at the kids as she walked back into the beach house.  
>Steven looked at the girls and smiled. "Since we're already outside, how about a short walk down the beach,  
>The two girls smiled at Steven. "That sounds great Steven, let's do it." Zinnia spoke as she walked over and grabbed Steven's right hand.  
>"Beats sitting here waiting for the others to get back. Maybe we can find something interesting!" Marigold grabbed Steven's left hand excitedly.  
>The trio walked down the beach, looking for anything interesting that might be lodged in the sand. By the time they came back, Jasmine and Veronica had returned, several bags upon their arms and two backpacks on their backs. Steven filled them in on what had happened while they were away. A quick test was performed with all five of them, just to check if having all four girls involved made any difference. The group was met with a similar failure, lines showing up upon their bodies before they were forced apart and sent flying. The group shrugged their shoulders as they shook off their pain and entered the beach house to find an activity the five could share.  
\-------  
>Back in the Temple, Amethyst skulked through her room before coming to the puddle that led to the burning room. She jumped inside, landing upon the ground in front of a waiting Garnet.  
>"You were right Garnet, it didn't work. Man, I thought I had something there!"  
>"It was a good idea Amethyst, don't be too hard on yourself. We learned something important today, that bringing them together won't be a quick fix." Garnet adjusted her visor a bit before continuing. "Fusion may yet come into play in the solution, we need more information. Pearl will be back shortly with Peridot's surveillance drones. She may need help with them."  
>"Ugh, fine, I'll help Pearl set up the nerd machines. Later Garnet."  
>Amethyst exited the burning room, leaving Garnet alone once more. She sighed to herself before looking at her gems, rubbing them idly with her thumbs.  
>"I wish your idea worked Amethyst. I can't imagine what they must feel, four parts of a whole, unable to come together......we need to help them as soon as we can."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Breakfast scene was entirely needed, Pearl would never let Steven or any version of Connie go hungry. 
> 
> Crying Breakfast friend racing game is loosely based on Mario Kart, with an added twist. Yes, delicious tears were needed.
> 
> You guys didn't think it'd be that easy to bring them back together, did you? This thought woke me up last night, gnawing at my mind as I realized I needed to address this before someone else thought of it and brought it up. Also, I could have just had clothes there for them, but I was never one to do things halfway. Besides, they got caught up in the moment and didn't think everything through before leaving, because getting split into four people would be hard on the mind.....the minds? That makes more sense than them being totally collected right away anyways.


	5. Gathering data

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl, Amethyst, and Garnet gather data on Zinnia, Veronica, Jasmine, and Marigold, each choosing a different method to do it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick guide of the Connies, for those who don't want to constantly flip chapters and might have trouble remembering.  
> Marigold: Brilliant yellow skin, with orange hair and green eyes.  
> Veronica: Light blue skin, with dark blue hair and eyes.  
> Jasmine: Pale white skin, her hair is light grey, her eyes have grey pupils and darker grey irises  
> Zinnia: Light pink skin, darker pink hair, and bright brown eyes.

>Four days had passed since Connie had been split into the four girls now known as Marigold, Jasmine, Veronica, and Zinnia on Homeworld, and them moving in to the beach house to live while the Crystal Gems tried to come up with a way to bring them back together into Connie. Each girl now had a drone floating near them, constantly recording data for analysis, following the girls almost everywhere. The only place the drones didn't go was in the bathroom, leaving the girls their privacy to clean themselves and change clothing. Despite the minor annoyance the small robots created, the girls were glad a more invasive solution wasn't being used.  
>Deciding the girls had had enough time to get used to themselves, Pearl smiled as she informed the girls they'd be doing an analysis of their combat skills today after they finished lunch. The girls sighed as they heard the news, they each knew it was coming, but had hoped they'd have a few more days before it did.  
>Pearl had lead Marigold, Jasmine, Veronica, and Zinnia to the Sky Arena, telling Steven to stay behind. Pearl didn't want anything distracting the girls, and as much as she hated to leave Steven behind, she had seen how they all looked at him. Steven reluctantly agreed to stay in the beach house to allow the best results possible.  
>The warp pad in the Sky Arena flared to life as a beam of light touched down upon it. Pearl stepped off the pad and sprang up to the Arena's entrance, filled with excitement about getting to see what each girl was capable of. Marigold, Jasmine, Veronica, and Zinnia looked around the area briefly before heading up the stairs, Jasmine at the front of the group, Marigold and Veronica side by side behind her, while Zinnia trailed behind nervously.   
>As the four girls arrived in the arena proper, Pearl clapped her hands together and spoke. "Today, I'm going to have each of you fight one of my HoloPearls, to see if you suffered any loss of skill due to your division. Oh, I'm so excited to see how this goes!" Pearl pulled eight swords from her gem, handing one to each of the girls. She then proceeded to summon four HoloPearls, handing each one a sword as well. "These HoloPearls have been programmed to disarm instead of severely hurt you, but be careful all the same. We don't want any accidents to happen. Are you girls ready?"  
>The four girls looked between each other for a moment. Zinnia's body shook from nervousness as she silently nodded. Veronica, Jasmine, and Marigold were more confident with their nods, already looking over the holograms and forming plans.   
>"Alright then. Now, let us begin!" Pearl's voice rang out through the arena, the eyes on the HoloPearls glowing red as they activated and began to advance.  
>Marigold wasted no time, her orange hair rippling as she charged full force towards her opponent, letting out a fierce shout, coming in for a strong overhead strike. The HoloPearl moved her blade to block. Her sword connected with the HoloPearl's sword, sending cracks along both blades, the HoloPearl pushing against her sword to send Marigold sliding back a few inches. Unfazed, Marigold charged once more, this time going for a side swipe. The HoloPearl blocked the blow once more, cracks widening along both blades before both swords snapped and splintered apart. Gritting her teeth and growling, Marigold tackled the HoloPearl and began beating it with her fists furiously. The HoloPearl sat still and took it, not being programmed for hand to hand fighting. Eventually, the hologram faded, with the words "Challenger wins."  
>Veronica took stock of her surroundings as she moved into a defensive stance, ready to defend herself. She knew the HoloPearl was trying to disarm her only, she could use that to her advantage. Thinking quickly, she formed a plan, gritting her teeth momentarily as she blocked a blow coming at her left side, the metal clanking together. Veronica smirked as she enacted her plan, taking rapid steps backwards towards the seating area of the arena. The HoloPearl followed her movements, swinging its sword a few more times. Overhead, side, legs, shoulder, four more swings, each one blocked by Veronica, each one bringing them closer to the stairs at the edge of the arena. On the fourth block, Veronica sprang up the stairs a few feet and began moving up them faster. The HoloPearl leapt into the air, trying to get over and ahead of the girl. It was what Veronica had wanted her opponent to do. She dropped her sword and jumped up, grabbing the HoloPearl and grappling her, bringing it down to the stairs before Veronica gave her opponent a shove. As the HoloPearl tumbled backwards down the stairs, it droned out "Challenger wins." before dissipating at the bottom.  
>Jasmine's approach was different. Instead of using tricks or brute force, she met her opponent on even ground, moving her feet and positioning her body, a flurry of blows and blocks being traded between her and her HoloPearl opponent. Jasmine smirked as she felt the hologram slowing down, knowing her chance would come soon. A minor falter as the HoloPearl barely blocked a blow to its side was all Jasmine needed. With a quick hand shift, she hooked the tip of her blade into the hand guard of her opponent's sword, and forced the blade out of the HoloPearl's hands, then proceeded to point her blade at the hologram. The HoloPearl nodded before droning out "Challenger wins." and disappearing.  
>Zinnia's fight was very different from the other three, her body shook as she held her sword and watched her opponent's movements. As the HoloPearl brought its sword towards Zinnia's left side, she shook as she positioned her blade to block, her shaky hands causing her own blade to move closer to her body and her opponent's sword to bounce off of her own.   
>Zinnia's body continued to tremble as she moved into her own strike, aiming for the HoloPearl's shoulder, a blow the hologram easily blocked. Zinnia's blade bounced off of the hologram's, her shaky body still causing her problems. She took a few shaky steps back as she blocked another blow, the hologram's sword bouncing off her own blade once more. She had to think of something, quick.  
>A sudden spark came to her, she realized she could use the blade bouncing to her advantage. Holding her sword close to her shaking body, she waited for the HoloPearl to make its next strike. The HoloPearl made a wide swing towards Zinnia's right shoulder, the girl's hands still shaking as she moved her wavering sword to block. As the blades connected, Zinnia gave her sword a strong push, sending the HoloPearl's sword arm flying back further with the blade than it had been bouncing before.  
>It was enough of an opening. With a yell, Zinnia drove her blade into the HoloPearl's chest. A monotone chime of "Challenger wins." sounded before its form disappeared, the blade it held clattering to the ground.   
>Pearl smiled widely as the fights finished. "Great work you four! Though, I have a few notes. Marigold, you're putting too much force into your blows, in a real fight, you don't want to break your weapon. Zinnia, you need to calm down, your shaking could cause you real problems in an actual battle. Jasmine, Veronica, you both performed wonderfully!"  
>The four girls breathed a sigh of relief, Zinnia and Marigold taking Pearl's advice into consideration. Zinnia spoke up in a shaky voice. "S-so what happens n-next, more f-fights?  
>"Maybe another day Zinnia, I need to get some sturdier swords out for Marigold to use until she learns to control her strength. I'll take you back to the temple so you four can relax again. Garnet should be talking to each of you in a few hours.   
>Pearl quickly walked up the stairs of the arena, the four girls following behind her. It wasn't long before they found themselves back in the beach house, Pearl humming to herself as she entered her room of the temple.   
>The four girls looked around, noticing Steven wasn't around. Jasmine spoke her thoughts aloud. "Steven probably thought our session with Pearl would be longer, I bet he went to get some doughnuts, or to see Greg."  
>Veronica whispered in a hushed tone. "I hope you're right Jasmine."  
>Before the girls could speak further, they heard the temple door open up. The four turned around, expecting to see Garnet. Instead, the group was met with the sight of Amethyst.  
>"Hey you girls, how was training with Pearl?" Amethyst spoke casually as she walked over to the four girls.   
>"Marigold spoke up. "It was great, except the part where I broke my sword and the HoloPearl's sword."  
>Zinnia sputtered out. "M-my body sh-shakes too much wh-when I'm fighting......and a l-lot of other t-times too."  
>Jasmine spoke up. "I disarmed my opponent at the opportune moment, I'd say it went well."  
>Veronica whispered out. "I used the terrain to my advantage and pushed the hologram down the stairs to win."  
>Amethyst looked between the girls before shrugging. "Sounds like you each have your own way of doing things. What do you say you girls come into my room for a bit, dig through the piles and pick yourselves out something? Think of it as a late housewarming gift."  
>Jasmine spoke what was on all of their minds. "What about Garnet, she's suppose to talk with us soon."  
>Amethyst shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, she's a smart gem, she'll figure it out if it takes too long."  
>The girls looked between each other before smiling. Marigold spoke up. "Alright, let's see what we can find!"   
>Amethyst smiled. "That's the spirit! C'mon, an adventure awaits."  
>Amethyst led the way to the temple door, the door opening up to her room. The five walked in, Zinnia, Marigold, Jasmine, and Veronica all taking a moment to marvel at the sheer size of some of the piles before each went off in a separate direction in search of something to claim as their own.   
>Marigold was the first to find something, digging through a pile of weapons resting near a mountain of bicycles. She dug carefully though them before pulling out a yellow spear the size of her body, twirling it in her hands before smiling widely. "Amethyst, look what I found! What do you think?"  
>"Woah, nice spear, we pulled that off the Strawberry Battlefield. Man, I wish I could have seen the gem that used it, she must have been about your height. Careful not to break it, but enjoy it too!"  
>Marigold shot Amethyst a brief look of disapproval before she giggled. "Oh alright, I'll try not to break this." She started giving the spear a few practice swings before she made her way back towards the entrance.   
>It was a few more minutes before someone else found something they wanted. Jasmine smiled widely as she pulled out a large portion of Peridot's wrecked gem ship. "Hey Amethyst, you mind if I tinker with this and take whatever I build with me?"  
>Amethyst walked over to Jasmine and shrugged as she saw what had been drug out. "That broken piece of gem tech? Odd tastes, but I guess if you can make something out of it, it's yours."  
>"Sweet, thanks Amethyst!" Jasmine began searching for tools in the piles around her, eager to see if she could create something for herself.  
>Fifteen minutes after Jasmine found her item, Veronica made a discovery of her own. A large pile of books, the ones not touching the floor in surprisingly good condition. Veronica pulled an especially thick one from the pile, careful not to bring the whole thing down. The obvious age of it had been what drew her attention to it, but when she realized what it was, a wide smile spread on her face. For the first time since coming into existence, her voice raised to a normal level. "Amethyst, look at what I found, it's an old book of myths! This thing has to be a few hundred years old at least!"  
>"Huh, nice find Veronica, you like myths that much?"  
>"I find them fascinating, and now that I know about gems, I've been meaning to see just how many of them could have had gem origins. Now I can do that and see how myths have changed over the ages."  
>Amethyst shrugged her shoulders. "Fair enough, enjoy it you bookworm!" Amethyst ruffled Veronica's hair playfully while laughing, causing Veronica to giggle along for a moment. Veronica made her way back to the entrance, flipping through a few pages as she walked.   
>Zinnia took the longest to find something she wanted, passing over piles of scrap metal, shoes, discarded food boxes, before she saw it. A small pink falcon plush, in great condition and sitting on top of a dry pile of blankets and pillows. She carefully climbed up and grabbed the pink falcon, holding it close to her body, a peace washing over her as she smiled. She began walking silently over to the entrance, not wanting to bother Amethyst with her choice just yet.  
>As Zinnia arrived at the entrance where Marigold and Veronica were already waiting, Jasmine came up behind her a moment later, a green metal brace on her right arm.   
>The three other girls stared at it for a moment before Marigold spoke up. "Where'd you find that thing Jasmine?"  
>"Made it from scraps of an old gem ship. I got one of the small force-field generators working, but that's it." Jasmine demonstrated by flicking her wrists, a shimmering green field appearing around her before she flicked her wrist again.  
>Veronica spoke in a hushed wonder. "You made that? Pretty cool Jasmine."   
>Jasmine shrugged her shoulders. "I just reconnected some wires, no big deal." She looked around before calling out. "Hey Amethyst, I think we've all made our choices!"  
>Amethyst rushed over tot he group. "Hope you girls enjoy those, don't do anything I wouldn't! Wait.....Zinnia, are you sure that's all you want?" Amethyst eyed the small pink falcon plush in the girl's arms.   
>Zinnia nodded with a smile. "I'm sure, it makes me feel......safe. You don't mind, do you?"   
>Amethyst smiled. "I don't mind girl! I think that's the first time I've heard you speak without stuttering, take care of it."  
>"I will. Thanks Amethyst."  
>Amethyst blushed a bit as she walked over to her door and opened it from the inside, the four girls filing out before the door closed behind them. They didn't get far before noticing Garnet standing in the living room.   
>"Zinnia, Marigold, Jasmine, Veronica, I see Amethyst let you pick out something for yourselves. Best treasure what you picked, it's rare that Amethyst lets go of anything."  
>The four girls nodded before Garnet continued. "Pearl told you I'd be speaking with each of you, but something came up, I need to go take care of a dangerous artifact that just activated. I wrote down three points I want you girls to answer on four different pieces of paper. Find a private spot, fill them out, and don't let the others see your answers. Don't talk about it among yourselves either, it's important you be truthful to your feelings, not a group consensus."   
>The girls nodded again. Garnet grinned at the group before warping off. "I know you four won't let me down."  
>The pad lit up, carrying Garnet off and leaving the four girls with Garnet's request. Each took a piece of paper before retreating to different areas. Jasmine placed her back against the wall next to Steven's bed. Marigold stepped outside onto the deck and sat at the table, placing her new spear down at her feet. Veronica hummed as she sat herself down near the temple door, using her new book as a hard surface. Zinnia held her falcon in one hand as she settled on sitting near the fridge.  
>Each girl found herself faced with the same thing: "Answer the following in as few words as possible. 1. How did you feel when you were first created. 2. Write what you think your biggest weakness is. 3. Write your feelings about coming back together into one being with the others.  
>Jasmine thought for a moment before writing out her responses. "1. Confused, but certain something needed to be done to fix it. 2. My lack of fear. 3. Do it as soon as possible."  
>Marigold let out a sigh of annoyance at the second question as she wrote her responses. "1. Afraid, confused, and wanted to punch the scientist. 2. Lack control of my strength. 3. The sooner the better."  
>Veronica whispered along with her answers as she wrote them out. "1. Cold, empty, and sad. 2. I'm too quiet. 3. I'm fine with it, but wouldn't mind staying as I am."  
>Zinnia smiled as she filled out the first two, then hesitated at the third one. In the end, she felt like she could be honest, holding her plush falcon tightly as she wrote. "1. Afraid, confused, very uncertain of what to do, and surprised. 2. I'm too nervous all the time. 3. I know the others want to come back together, but is it needed? I don't want to stop existing as me, even though I'm flawed. Is that selfish?"  
>Each girl folded the paper up and tucked it away in their pockets, determined to give them to Garnet as soon as they could. The four gathered around the table, deciding to pass the time with a puzzle until Steven got back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this makes it a little clearer what type of person each one is, and what trait they take after the most from Connie.


	6. More involved testing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven, Veronica, Marigold, Jasmine, Zinnia, and Pearl pay Peridot a visit for data analysis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick guide of the Connies, for those who don't want to constantly flip chapters and might have trouble remembering.  
> Marigold: Brilliant yellow skin, with orange hair and green eyes.  
> Veronica: Light blue skin, with dark blue hair and eyes.  
> Jasmine: Pale white skin, her hair is light grey, her eyes have grey pupils and darker grey irises  
> Zinnia: Light pink skin, darker pink hair, and bright brown eyes.

>The day after Zinnia, Marigold, Jasmine, and Veronica had been tested in combat by Pearl, given their choice of an item by Amethyst, and given a short questionnaire by Garnet, the girls found themselves being led down the beach by Pearl and Steven. towards the edge of town that bordered the forest.   
>Steven and Pearl both smiled as the four girls gasped when a green structure came into view in the distance, the details becoming more noticeable as the group continued their approach.  
>The building was bright green. Metal silos stuck out of the wall on the right and left sides. Scraps of metal were attached and jutting out all over the building. The ground the building sat on and a few yards around it had been dug out, the sand replaced by rich soil. Flowers and crops were growing in random spots around the structure. The four girls marveled at the sight of a barn on the beach, made into something truly unique.  
>Steven knocked on the door of the barn excitedly. "Peridot, we're here!"  
>A muffled voice came from within the structure. "Steven? Stay stationary, I'll undo the protective protocols barricading the door." The group her the clinking of metal upon metal and strained grunting from Peridot for a few minutes before the door slowly creaked inward, allowing the group to enter.   
>The interior of the barn was well organized, various devices resting on tables, parts placed neatly beside each work in progress. A small area in the loft had been set aside for a couch and a television, a place for Peridot to relax when she wasn't working on something. Vines draped from the plants lining the ceiling, the interior of the metal silos lined with various completed projects and potted plants, rays of light shining from makeshift windows to provide light in the long metal tubes.  
>The group walked carefully over to Peridot, not wanting to knock any devices over or off the tables. Peridot eyed the four copies of Connie with great interest as they approached.  
>"So, these are the duplications of Connie that you informed me of, correct Pearl?"  
>Pearl nodded her head. "That's right Peridot, you've already been sent some data on them from the drones you sent. You've had time to look over it, right?"  
>Peridot scoffed "What do you think I am, a lazy Shale? However, there's a limited amount of conclusions to be drawn from the data present. Since you're all here, I should get a sample from each of you."  
>"Peridot, remember what we talked about." Pearl spoke in a warning tone.  
>"Yes yes, I remember, no muscle or bone samples! You're really hindering my pursuit of solutions, but blood will suffice for now." Peridot opened a nearby drawer and pulled out four syringes, then looked at the girls expectantly. "Who wants to go first?"  
>The four girls glanced between each other nervously before Jasmine stepped forward. "We've all got to go eventually, might as well be first." She held out her left arm towards Peridot.   
>"The white one, Jasmine is it? Try to relax." Peridot proceeded to stick one of the four syringes into Jasmine's arm, pulling the plunger back to pull a blood sample. The glass tube filled with a grey liquid, much to the surprise of everyone in the barn.   
>"Fascinating....the fluid is still organic in nature, but the color is heavily altered. These simplistic samples may yield valuable results after all." Peridot placed the syringe down upon the table, looking at it for a moment longer before looking back up. "Who's next?"  
>Marigold stepped forward next, fidgeting a little bit. "It's not going to hurt, is it?"  
>"There shouldn't be any significant pain, just minor discomfort." Peridot shrugged before she stuck the needle into Marigold's arm, her blood coming out a bright yellow.  
>Veronica was third, remaining silent as she offered up her arm. She flinched a bit as the needle pierced her skin, blue liquid filling the syringe.  
>Zinnia shook more than the rest as she stepped up last. "Is this r-really necessary? C-can't we j-just use h-hair?"  
>Peridot rolled her eyes at the girl. "No, we can't, blood is more efficient to test. Now, stop shaking so I can penetrate your epidermis cleanly."  
>"I-I'm trying b-but it's h-hard."   
>Steven wrapped his arms around Zinnia to comfort her. "It'll be okay, Peridot will take the sample fast, and she'll use it to find out more about what's going on. Please try to relax, for me?"  
>Zinnia took a deep breath, her shaking lessening. "Okay...Okay, d-do it fast, pl-please."   
>Peridot obliged, sticking the needle into Zinnia's arm quickly. As she pulled the syringe's plunger, it filled with a red liquid, the only sample that looked like blood.  
>Peridot hummed to herself as she examined Zinnia's sample. "Fascinating, the others have the color of their exterior epidermis, but yours is the exception. Clearly further tests are needed." Peridot gathered the samples in her hands and stuck the tubes into a device. "It will take some time to get full readings, but the preliminary results should only take five minutes. Would you like to linger within my home in anticipation of the preliminary results, or would you prefer waiting for the full analysis?"  
>Steven spoke up excitedly. "Five minutes isn't long to wait, what do you think Pearl, Zinnia, Veronica, Jasmine, Marigold?"  
>Pearl smiled. "Knowing the first results could help me plan further tests, I'm staying here until I see them."  
>Jasmine spoke up. "I admit, I'm curious about why my blood is white. Might as well see what comes up in the first results."  
>Marigold spoke enthusiastically. "I bet we find out something awesome, I don't mind waiting!"  
>Veronica whispered "Nothing pressing to get back to, may as well arm ourselves with knowledge."  
>Zinnia shook a bit as she smiled. "W-well, if everyone else is st-staying, I'll stay p-put too."  
>"Very well. Feel free to look around,but don't touch anything without asking. We don't need two accidents to try and undo." Peridot turned her attention to the machine, adjusting a few dials before starting it up.   
>The group waited anxiously while the machine ran, Jasmine and Veronica taking quick glances around Peridot's makeshift laboratory. Zinnia clung to Steven tightly for comfort, worrying about the results. Marigold walked around, not touching anything, not really interested in any of it, desiring the movement more than satisfying curiosity about the devices.   
>After five minutes passed, the machine beeped and began printing out something onto paper. Peridot snatched it up eagerly as she began to read it.  
>Peridot's eyes lit up with excitement as she read. "Wow, this is amazing! Absolutely fascinating!"  
>Pearl looked at Peridot expectantly. "Well, don't keep us waiting, tell us what it says."  
>Peridot scowls at Pearl for a moment before clearing her throat. "Yes of course. The most obvious thing to note is they're all reading as organic still, which is good news, it means they should be relatively stable as they are. What's truly fascinating is the energy readings I'm getting from each sample. I'll be simple and direct with this, there's trace readings of gem energy within the blood samples!"  
>The group gasped, the four girls eyes widening in surprise. Steven's eyes shined brightly as he looked at Peridot. "Ohmygosh, really?! Does this mean they'll get powers?!"  
>"Hmm, that's one possible outcome. I doubt substantial powers will emerge, but one or two traits or abilities might manifest. To tell you what they'll be, I'll have to wait for the full analysis, which could take hours or days. I have to say, the energy readings could explain why you all couldn't fuse together."  
>Jasmine spoke up, curiosity in her voice. "What do you mean?"  
>"Simply put, Steven's gem still reads you four as organic, and isn't compensating for the increase of gem energy present. It's as if a fail-safe is activating to prevent the fusion, which bears further study itself, to see if we can duplicate the effect between two gems."  
>Veronica spoke up silently. "So until we can get Steven's gem to recognize the energy within us......no fusion with Steven at all? No Stevonnie? Wait, would we still be Stevonnie?" Veronica glanced between Zinnia, Marigold, and Jasmine, who all had confused and contemplating looks on their faces.  
>Peridot shrugged her shoulders. "Bringing you four back together is our primary objective, but I'll see if I can fabricate a way to allow fusion. Who knows, you four might be able to fuse with other gems too, instead of just Steven."  
>The thought of experiencing fusion with other gems got the four girls excited, even Zinnia stopped shaking from nervousness when she thought of the possibilities.  
>"There's one more thing I need to mention before you leave. Zinnia, your blood is the most stable of the group, the preliminary energy readings within it seem to be stable. If any of you is going to develop powers, I expect you'll be the first one. Inform me of what abilities you obtain if or when you develop them."  
>Zinnia stared at Peridot in disbelief. "Are you s-serious? I'M the m-most stable of the group? I f-find that hard to believe."  
>Peridot shrugged. "Readings don't lie. You might be a wreck mentally or emotionally, but physically is what will count the most for the future, and in that regard, you are at the forefront."  
>Zinnia's cheeks flushed a deeper pink as she turned away from Peridot. "Th-thanks."  
>"I'll let you all know what the full results are when I get them. I don't expect you all to hang out while the machine is still calculating and analyzing. You may resume your daily activities."  
>Pearl smiled gently at the four girls. "Well, this promises to be exciting! I can't wait to see what else we can find out. Just think, the possibility of having powers and fusing with gems! Oh, I bet you're all excited! Come on, Garnet will be eager to hear about this."  
>Steven, Pearl, Veronica, Zinnia, Marigold, and Jasmine turned to leave Peridot's home. Peridot glanced up as they started to leave, her eyes widening as she caught sight of the green device around Jasmine's left arm.   
>"Wait, Jasmine was it? Where'd you get that device?"  
>The group stopped as Jasmine turned around to face Peridot once more. "What this? Amethyst had some scraps of gem ship in her room, I did some tinkering and put this together."  
>Peridot's eyes lit up in excitement. "Fascinating, does it do anything?"  
>"It generates a small force field in front of me when I flick my wrist." Jasmine demonstrated with a quick flick, a green field appearing in front of her. With another motion, she dismisses the field.   
>Peridot began to smile widely. "May I examine that closer? I want to ensure everything is assembled in a way that won't create a volatile reaction."  
>Jasmine flinched a bit, the possibility of an explosion never occurring to her. "Yeah, that might be for the best." She turned to look at the group. "You five go on ahead, I'll return to the beach house when Peridot finishes looking at my wrist device."  
>"Stay safe Jasmine." Steven shot her a worried look before he and the rest turned back around and left the barn, leaving Jasmine and Peridot to examine the device.  
>As Steven, Pearl, Marigold, Veronica, and Zinnia walked back down the beach, away from the barn, Steven looked at Pearl with a worried expression. "Do you think everything's going to be alright, leaving those two alone?"  
>"I'm sure it'll be fine Steven." Pearl smiled as she spoke.  
>Marigold spoke confidently. "Don't worry, Jasmine is capable of protecting herself if she needs to.  
>Veronica whispered out. "Jasmine is good at observing things, she'll be fine."  
>Zinnia did her best to speak in an even tone. "I'm sure P-Peridot knows what she's d-doing. She'll make sure Jasmine's device is s-safe."  
>Steven let out a sigh, "Yeah, you're all probably right. Still, after what happened on Homeworld, I'm worried about leaving you all around any Homeworld technology."  
>Zinnia, Veronica, and Marigold nodded and spoke in unison. "That's fair, we'd be nervous too." The trio shared a look before laughing, Steven soon joining in while Pearl smiled at the group.   
>The five arrived at the beach house. Pearl entered the home first, followed by Marigold, then Veronica, and finally Zinnia. Steven was at the back of the line.   
>As he was entering the house, he heard a low humming. He looked up to the sky, a look of surprise spreading on his face as he spotted an orange gem handship descending towards the beach. Zinnia, Marigold, Veronica, and Pearl caught the look on his face. Pearl spoke up. "Steven, what's going on?"  
>"Probably just a gem coming to see Earth in their free time. I'll handle it Pearl. Marigold, Veronica, Zinnia, you three relax while I greet our unexpected guest."  
>The girls nodded at Steven, looking over the board games and other activities and talking about what to do while they waited for Steven as Steven himself walked back down the stairs leading from his deck to the beach. The orange ship touched down gently upon the sand as he reached the bottom step, the fingers unfurling away from the house.   
>An orb emerged from the tip of one of the fingers, floating gently to the beach before opening up to reveal a familiar form to Steven. The figures orange hair was ruffled and messy, safety goggles fastened over her eyes, a light orange lab coat covering her thin frame. an orange gem gleaming brilliantly on her left shoulder.   
>Steven looked at the newcomer in confusion. "You're the Pearl that was showing us her lab, aren't you? Why are you here?"  
>The orange Pearl blushed a light orange. "Steven........Yellow Diamond was not pleased when she heard about what happened to your friend, Connie was it? Yellow Diamond had this ship loaded up with some of the best equipment available on Homeworld. Yellow Diamond ordered me to come to Earth, and that I wasn't allowed back on Homeworld until your friend was back together in one person, or the four girls she became were completely happy as they are. I promise, I'll do whatever it takes to fix things and get my lab back. My lab......oh, my precious lab, I already miss it."  
>Steven gave the orange Pearl a look of sympathy. "Hey, it'll be alright, things will work out. We've actually made some discoveries of our own, we've got a Peridot doing some readings on the blood of Zinnia, Marigold, Jasmine, and Veronica right now! Oh, those are the names they chose, the pink one, yellow one, white one, and blue one in that order."  
>"I see. Would you mind taking me to the gem doing the readings? I'd like to add my findings to hers and collaborate with her as soon as possible.   
>"Sure, just give me a moment." Steven leapt up to his porch and opened the door. He looked upon the three girls playing a game of cards. "Zinnia, Marigold, Veronica, the orange Pearl scientist is here! I'm taking her to see Peridot, I'll be back shortly."  
>Marigold frowned. "She had better not make things worse. Stay safe Steven."  
>Veronica whispered out. "This is either good or bad for us. I hope it's good. Watch her closely Steven."  
>Zinnia shrugged her shoulders. "It's n-not like she can make things w-worse, right? Hope you join us soon Steven."  
>"I'll be safe, I promise. See you three soon."  
>Steven proceeded to lead the orange Pearl to Peridot's barn. The Pearl looked upon the building in confusion as she stood in front of it. As Steven opened the door and started walking in, he brought himself to a stop, barely avoiding crashing into Jasmine.   
>Jasmine looked up at Steven in surprise. "Oh, Steven! I told you I'd be back when Peridot finished looking at my device what brings you......" Jasmine's face fell as she saw the orange Pearl behind him. "Oh, it's you. Steven, why is she here, is she going to split more people apart?"  
>The Pearl huffed in annoyance. "I'm sorry about that, really I am. I'm here to try and fix my mistake on the order of Yellow Diamond. I promise you, we'll come to a satisfactory conclusion to this whole ordeal."  
>Steven shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Jasmine, let's just go, we can have fun back at the house while she gets acquainted with Peridot. Hey Peridot, the Pearl who built the device that split Connie apart is here to give you her data! Try to get along and work well with her!"  
>Steven led Jasmine away as he heard Peridot shout out and rush towards the entrance. "Wait, she here?! Oh my stars, dividing a being into four parts that match the size of the original, you simply must tell me how you managed it! I mean, we need to fix it, but if we could duplicate the results on non organic objects, the possibilities are endless!"  
>Peridot's voice faded as he closed the door behind him, leaving the orange Pearl to face an onslaught of questions alone. Jasmine and Steven held hands as they walked down the beach to return home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Further explanation on why they can't fuse as they are now. This chapter sets up a few possibilities for the future, biggest one being the presences of the Pearl who made the device responsible for the situation. Consider it the end of the first major arc if you'd like. 
> 
> I'm taking a break from this story for a while. I have exhausted all the ideas I had for it, and I need to collect my thoughts on where I want it to go next and how I want it to end. I hope people have been enjoying it so far.


	7. A empowered argument

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls get into a fight over a few rounds of poker, when something strange begins to happen to each of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick guide of the Connies, for those who don't want to constantly flip chapters and might have trouble remembering.  
> Marigold: Brilliant yellow skin, with orange hair and green eyes.  
> Veronica: Light blue skin, with dark blue hair and eyes.  
> Jasmine: Pale white skin, her hair is light grey, her eyes have grey pupils and darker grey irises  
> Zinnia: Light pink skin, darker pink hair, and bright brown eyes.

>Three days had passed since Zinnia, Jasmine, Veronica, and Marigold had gone to Peridot to get tests done on their blood and since the orange scientist Pearl had arrived on Earth. Steven had been checking in on the two scientists, ensuring they were still working together peacefully. So far, Steven hadn't reported any issues to the girls or the Crystal Gems.  
>Today the four girls found themselves alone in the beach house. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl had gone on a mission, Bismuth was still out helping the healed gems that had stayed on Earth find places to settle down. Lapis was exploring the world, truly enjoying her freedom now that she was free from worries of being shattered or imprisoned. Steven had stayed behind with the girls to start, but had gone out to talk to Greg about getting more food for the temple, the supply that was suppose to last him weeks now out due to the increase in mouths to feed.  
>The girls had decided to play cards while they waited. Zinnia smiled as she laid her cards on the table, revealing a royal flush of hearts. "Unless one of you has another royal flush, I win this round  
>Jessie groaned as she laid her hand down, a full house of three nines and two eights. "Dang it, I thought I'd have it this round. You got really lucky Zinnia."  
>Veronica let out a soft sigh as she laid down the other three aces, a two, and a six. "So that's where the last ace was. Congratulations Zinnia."  
>Marigold slapped her cards down in annoyance, revealing a king, a queen, a jack, a seven, and a four and let out a growl of frustration. "Why can't I win a round, we've been playing this for half an hour and I've not won a single hand! It's always one of you three! Mostly her!" Marigold pointed an accusing finger at Zinnia, who flinched.  
>Jasmine and Veronica looked at the pair nervously. Jasmine spoke up. "Now Marigold, we take turns dealing and all the cards are returned each round. I dealt this round, remember? Please, calm down."  
>"You're jumping to conclusions out of frustration. Please, take a moment and relax." Veronica spoke in a halfway normal volume, a sternness in her voice as she narrowed her eyes at Marigold.  
>"I promise, I'm not cheating! Look, nothing!" Zinnia spoke frantically, lifting her sleeves up to reveal her bare pink arms underneath.  
>Marigold gritted her teeth in frustration. "Then why can't I win?! Dang it this isn't fair!" she slammed her fist into the table in frustration. The other three girls stared at her hands with wide eyes.  
>Marigold looked between Zinnia, Jasmine, and Veronica in confusion as she noticed their stares. "Why are you three staring at me?!"  
>"Marigold, look at your hands." Jasmine pointed at Marigold, her right hand shaking as she did so.  
>"What do you.....wait, what the heck!? What is this?!" Marigold caught sight of the bolts of energy now cracking around her hands and jumped up in surprise. A bolt launched up from her hands towards the ceiling, creating a smoking scorch where it hit.  
>"Marigold, calm down!" Jasmine shouted as she rushed over to the yellow girl, her limbs stretching out a little longer as she moved and her subconscious wanted her to get to Marigold's side faster.  
>Zinnia shook as she witnessed Marigold's outburst. She stood up slowly and began backing away from the table. As she did, her body and clothes began to vanish, becoming invisible. Veronica took notice of what was happening to Zinnia, her eyes widening "Zinnia, your body, it's vanishing!" It was the first time anyone had heard Veronica speak in a tone louder than a half whisper.  
>Zinnia's eyes widened as she heard Veronica's words and she looked down at her body, now covered in spots completely see through. "No, nononono! I'm fading away, I'm going to die! I don't want to disappear, no!" As she panicked, more of her body began to turn intangible.  
>Hearing Zinnia's outburst, Marigold and Jasmine both stopped and looked her direction, their eyes widening as they saw their pink counterpart's body fading away.  
>Veronica began to move her body towards Zinnia, not noticing as her feet began to lift off the floor, as she began running a few inches off the floor, floating forward at the same speed as her run. Jasmine and Marigold took notice of it, both shouting out in unison. "Veronica, you're floating!"  
>Veronica glanced down at her feet for a moment. "Oh, I guess I am. I think I know what's going on now." She kicked her feet, feeling a makeshift solid surface under them despite her feet not touching anything actually solid. Her body propelled towards Zinnia, her arms wrapping around her pink counterpart as she pulled Zinnia into a hug and began stroking her fading hair. "Zinnia, calm down, you aren't disappearing forever, you're not dying. I think we're getting the gem powers Peridot told us we might get."  
>Zinnia's body's shaking eased up on hearing Veronica's words, the message clicking in her mind. "I.....I'm going to be okay?"  
>Veronica nodded as she looked Zinnia in the eyes. "You're going to be okay. We all are."  
>Zinnia's body began to come back into view as she calmed down, leaving only a few spots left invisible on her hands and legs. The energy around Marigold's hands began to die down as she realized what was really happening. Jasmine gave herself a brief glance over before realizing her limbs were a little longer and thinner, and watched as they snapped back into a normal length. "I guess my power is stretching." she spoke out in disbelief.  
>Veronica closed her eyes and focused, willing her feet back onto the ground. soon enough, her body ceased being horizontal and returned to a vertical position. The energy faded away from Marigold's hands entirely as Zinnia's body lost the spots of invisibility. The four girls moved to the table and sat back down, each had a serious expression on her face.  
>Jasmine spoke up first. "So, a few things. One, no more super competitive games until we get a handle on our powers. Two, we each now have a power, and we need to prepare ourselves in case we get any more. Maybe we should spend some time trying to get a handle on them before we do anything else today."  
>Veronica and Zinnia both nodded their heads in agreement. Veronica spoke up in a quiet tone. "I think you're right. We need to get a handle on these abilities as soon as we can."  
>Zinnia looked at her hands wearily. "I don't like it, I don't like vanishing. Do I have to try and use it?"  
>Marigold spoke confidently, waving her hands wildly. "Come on Zinnia, you know you'll panic if you go full invisible and can't turn back. Best to practice now so you can control it sooner and disappear only when you want to."  
>Jasmine nodded in agreement. "We'll be right here with you, practicing too. You especially Marigold, your power is the most dangerous right now. You need to get a handle on it as soon as possible." Jasmine gave Marigold a stern look.  
>"What?! Oh come on, I'm not that-" Marigold stopped short as she felt energy begin to run along her body as her anger rose once more. She sighed as she tried to calm her heartbeat and breathing, the energy dying down as she calmed down. "Okay, maybe you have a point."  
>Zinnia, Marigold, and Jasmine remained seated as they focused on trying to get their powers to activate willingly. Veronica stood as she did the same, trying to remember how she managed to get herself back on the ground.  
>Ten minutes of silence passed before they began seeing results. Zinnia's right hand vanished before her eyes, the rest of her body shaking nervously as she quickly undid it and focused on another part of herself. Jasmine's fingers began to stretch out and curve in unusual ways, a smile on her face as she made shapes. Marigold smirked as she felt the energy run along her hands once more, crackling with power as the bolts increased in size. Veronica had managed to get herself floating a few inches off the floor once again, and was now trying to mimic the kickoff she managed earlier.  
>The four girls turned to the door as they heard a voice shouting as footsteps ran up the stairs. "Jasmine, Veronica, Marigold, Zinnia! Good news, dad's bringing more food over this evening!" Steven bounded up the stairs excitedly. His eyes widened and his excitement grew as he opened the door and caught sight of the four girls in various states of displaying powers. "Ohmygosh, you guys got powers! This is great! Do you guys have a good handle on them yet?"  
>Jasmine twisted her fingers back into a normal position as she waved at Steven. "I think I'm getting the hang of mine, but it's not as impressive as the other three."  
>Veronica whispered out as she touched her feet to the floor. "I need more work, I can hover, but I can't figure out how to move forward like I did earlier."  
>Marigold stood up strait and crossed her arms confidently, energy crackling along her body. "It's only a matter of time before I truly master this!"  
>Zinnia waved, her body growing transparent with colors for a moment before snapping back into full visibility. "I....don't like mine, but I know I need to control it, so I'm doing my best."  
>"This is so cool!" Steven beamed in excitement. "Wait, Veronica, you mentioned something about earlier? What happened?"  
>The four girls glanced between each other nervously before they began telling Steven about what had happened to spark their powers, each taking turns to tell a part of it. Steven frowned as they finished. "I don't like that you guys were fighting. Marigold, please don't think so little of Jasmine, Zinnia, and Veronica in the future. You all came from the same person, that makes you all sisters. Sisters should get along with each other."  
>The four girls nodded their heads, Marigold looking down at her feet in shame as the energy faded from her body. "I'm sorry Steven, you're right. I'll try to control my anger better, especially now that......I can blast things."  
>Steven let out a sigh before his smile returned. "At least you're considering the consequences Marigold, that's a good thing. I'm sure you'll all get a handle on your powers fully." Then a realization dawned on him. "Ohmygosh, Peridot is going to be so excited when I tell her! I've got to let her know, be right back!"  
>Steven rushed out of the beach house, leaving Zinnia, Marigold, Jasmine, and Veronica alone once more. Zinnia spoke up in a nervous tone. "D-do you think P-peridot will w-want more samples now that w-we have p-powers?"  
>"If she does, she'll have to fight me to get them!" Marigold balled her left hand into a fist, energy crackling along it once more.  
>Jasmine shot Marigold a disapproving look. "If she does, we'll have to deal with it. I don't think she will, the analysis of the first sample hasn't come through yet."  
>"No matter what happens, I'm sure we'll be fine." Veronica whispered out a reassurance towards the group while looking sympathetically at Zinnia.  
>Zinnia let out a sigh. "Jasmine, Veronica, you're both probably right. Thanks Marigold, for the offer of protecting us all."  
>Marigold blushed a darker yellow. "D-don't mention it. Gotta protect my sisters, right?"  
>"Sisters......yes, that sounds nice." Veronica whispered out.  
>Jasmine nodded her head in agreement. "Steven has the right idea with that, we are like sisters. We should start acting like it."  
>Zinnia fidgeted as she spoke up. "I like the sound of it too. So, what should our first act as official sisters be?"  
>The group thought for a moment before agreeing to work a puzzle while they were waiting for Steven to get back again. The group started sorting the pieces out, separating the edges from the center pieces, then connecting the edges into a frame before working their way in, putting together any center pieces that looked like they belonged as they went, starting several growing portions on the side as the edges crept towards the center.  
>The girls had the puzzle half finished before Steven came back to the beach house. "Good news, Peridot said the results of the test should be finished soon! She seemed excited about you four getting powers, but I talked her out of getting additional samples for now."  
>The girls breathed a collective sigh of relief. "That's good to hear Steven, I hope the results are good." Jasmine spoke up, a smile on her face.  
>"About time, I'm getting tired of the uncertainty." Marigold muttered under her breath.  
>"I hope the knowledge will help us arrive at a swift solution." Veronica whispered out.  
>Zinnia's body shook a bit as she realized her time as herself might be running out. "O-oh, I guess that's good St-steven. W-why don't y-you join us and h-help finish this puzzle?"  
>"Sure, I'd be happy to!" Steven sat down at the table. The five proceeded to finish the puzzle out before moving on to other activities and fun, each one with their own worries in the back of their mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, my mind is set on where I want the rest of this series to go, I got some inspiration while I was sick and I realized a way I could end it and be happy with the result. I hope those of you who have enjoyed this so far will enjoy the ending. 
> 
> You didn't think I'd have Peridot mention the possibility of powers without giving them powers, did you? I know the powers might seem imbalanced, but I think they fit each girl pretty well.


	8. Illness falls, results are in.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jasmine gets sick and Peridot arrives with the test results.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick guide of the Connies, for those who don't want to constantly flip chapters and might have trouble remembering.  
> Marigold: Brilliant yellow skin, with orange hair and green eyes.  
> Veronica: Light blue skin, with dark blue hair and eyes.  
> Jasmine: Pale white skin, her hair is light grey, her eyes have grey pupils and darker grey irises  
> Zinnia: Light pink skin, darker pink hair, and bright brown eyes.

>A night had fallen and a new dawn had risen since Zinnia, Marigold, Jasmine, and Veronica had began displaying gem powers. The Crystal Gems themselves hadn't checked back in. Steven had woken up early worried about them, hoping they were just out hunting multiple targets, like they sometimes did when he wasn't with them. The four girls began to wake one by one after he did, Zinnia got up first, a smile on her face as she helped Steven prepare breakfast for them all. Marigold and Veronica were slower to wake, both racing each other to be the first to get cleaned.  
>A half hour after Veronica and Marigold woke up, Jasmine finally began stirring, groaning and coughing as she sat up. Steven took notice and called out to her in a worried tone. "Jasmine, are you feeling okay this morning?"  
>Jasmine shook her head and groaned again. "No, I feel......horrible Steven. I think I'm getting sick."  
>"Aww, that sucks! I hope you feel better soon."  
>Zinnia looked up at her sister sympathetically. "Jasmine, would you like something special to help you feel better?"  
>Jasmine shook her head. "No, that's okay, I don't need special treatment."  
>"Let me know if you change your mind." Zinnia had an uneasy feeling in her gut, but shrugged it off. "Getting sick is normal, don't panic." she thought to herself as she resumed helping Steven with breakfast, the pancakes now done and being plated.  
>Marigold gave a sly grin as she looked up at the loft where Jasmine was still sitting. "What a waste, I'd have taken the pampering Jasmine."  
>"That's not surprising." Veronica whispered out next to her. "Of the four of us, you like attention the most."  
>"What's that suppose to mean? Got something to say to me Veronica?" Marigold looked over towards her blue counterpart, an annoyed expression on her face.  
>"I already said it. You like attention." Veronica gave her own sly grin as she looked directly at Marigold.  
>Steven sighed as he stepped between the girls and sat plates down in front of them. "Please don't fight at breakfast, we should keep things quiet so Jasmine can get some rest today." Zinnia walked up the stairs to the loft as Steven spoke, taking Jasmine's plate to her and carrying her own plate up so she could sit next to Jasmine.  
>Veronica and Marigold both flinched and looked away from each other and Steven in shame, both speaking out an apology at the same time. "Sorry Steven."  
>Steven's smile returned as he went to get his own plate. "It's okay, just try to get along, please? I don't like it when my friends fight."  
>The two girls blushed slightly before they nodded and focused on their breakfast. Steven soon began digging into his own plate of pancakes, while Jasmine and Zinnia had already polished a third of their stacks off. The sound of forks clanking against plates sounded through the house as the five children filled their stomachs.  
>As the five finished their meals and began thinking about what they should do for the day, the door to the beach house burst open, a familiar green figure standing in the doorway, a frantic expression on her face.  
>The five children looked at the figure before Steven spoke up, a concerned expression on his face. "Peridot, is something wrong?"  
>"Steven!!!! Thank the stars you're here! Yes, something is wrong, something is very very wrong! The results of the tests finished this morning!"  
>A chill passed through Zinnia, Marigold, Veronica, Jasmine, and Steven as they heard Peridot's words. Zinnia spoke up nervously. "What.....what do you mean? Shouldn't that be a good thing?"  
>"Normally yes, but this time no! I analyzed your samples and compared them to the readings the device that split you all apart was giving out, and they both say the same thing! One by one, you'll-"  
>Peridot's speaking was interrupted by Jasmine, who let out a particularly violent cough and groaned out in pain. She spoke out weakly. "Sorry Peridot, didn't mean to interrupt, I'm not feeling good."  
>Peridot's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh stars, it's already starting! Jasmine, how long have you been sick?"  
>"Just......this morning, why?"  
>"Getting sick is the first projected symptom of the results, if it just started, there's still time....."  
>Marigold spoke up in annoyance. "Time for what? Peridot, stop being indirect and tell us what's going on!" Energy crackled along Marigold's body as her temper flared up.  
>The display caught Peridot off guard. "Y-yes of course. So you did get powers after all, fascinating......but ultimately horrible for you all. To put it directly, the gem energy in you all is tearing your organic bodies apart."  
>Everyone but Peridot gasped when they heard her words. A silence fell in the house, broken a few minutes later by Veronica's soft voice. "What are the signs to look for? What can we do to stop this?"  
>Peridot cleared her throat "The first sign is feeling sick, it'll start small, like what Jasmine is feeling, then progressively get worse. You'll start to bleed randomly as your bodies break down further, and if nothing is done......you'll all die." Peridot paused a moment before she spoke up. "The only thing we can do to stop this is hurry and find a way to either bring you all back together, or find a way to neutralize the gem energy in each of you."  
>"So just nullify the gem energy in us all, problem solved!" Marigold declared confidently. "What's the problem here?"  
>Peridot rolled her eyes. "The PROBLEM is there's no known way to nullify gem energy, you CLOD! Many great scientist gems have attempted it in the past, all have wound up shattered by an explosion, totally inert from a one time blast to their gem by mistake, or both! NOBODY has ever gotten close and survived long enough to pass her work along!"  
>Another silence fell before Zinnia spoke up. "S-so th-this is it? Th-there's no a-avoiding it? W-we either c-come back t-together or.......we die?" She clutched her head in frustration, her body flickering in and out of visibility. "Why? Why?! Why can't WE keep existing?! Why do we have to disappear!? Tell me!!" Tears ran down her cheeks as she stared at Peridot. Veronica, Marigold, and Jessie all looked at Zinnia, their own pangs of regret rising up in them. They had all began getting used to existing and being with each other, despite their arguments.  
>"I....I'm sorry. But if we don't bring you all together, nobody exists anymore. Connie ceases to be, you all fall apart and suffer painful deaths. The orange Pearl is already working on a device designed to bring you all back together. If one of you degenerates too much, even bringing you together won't save you." Peridot looked away from the girls, a pang of guilt in her heart as she wished she could do more for them.  
>Steven looked at Peridot and the girls in disbelief. He had been conflicted about what would happen to them from the start, but now that it was a do or die moment, he thought frantically, trying to come up with something that would buy them more time.  
>Something clicked in Steven's mind that got him excited. "Peridot, you said nobody's ever nullified gem energy, but has anyone ever transferred it?"  
>Peridot looked at Steven in confusion. "Well, yes, but I don't see how.......wait, that's it! Steven, you're a genius! If we transfer the energy from the girls into proper gems, the stones might reform into the girls properly! We might get Connie back and keep the girls if we fuse them together while separating the energy from them."  
>Steven's eyes widened, Zinnia, Marigold, Veronica, and Jasmine looked at Peridot with hopeful eyes.  
>"You mean we can exist and Connie might get to come back too?" Veronica whispered out, her mind reeling at the possibility.  
>"Th-that would be.......oh, please, please make it happen Peridot!" Zinnia's tears dried up as she rushed over to the scientist and knelt down in front of her, clasping her hands together in a pleading motion.  
>"Hah, I knew everything would be okay! Way to go Peridot and Steven!" Marigold smiled widely, her confidence in the situation soaring.  
>Jasmine coughed out again before she spoke up. "There's no guarantee, is there Peridot? Separating our energy might not work as you think."  
>Peridot sighed as the three girls and Steven all looked over at Jasmine, then back to Peridot with worried looks. "No, there's no guarantee it'll work, but it's the best shot in keeping you all alive. We can't know until we try, and we need to do something soon, before Jasmine fades too far."  
>Everyone in the room thought for a moment, before Zinnia stood up and spoke. "It's the only chance we have. If......if it can work, we need to try it!"  
>"Nothing risked, nothing gained." Veronica whispered out.  
>"I don't like uncertainty, but if the choices are die or a chance at living......I choose the chance. Let's do it."  
>Jasmine sighed. "I hope I last long enough to see this happen. I'm sorry for being so weak everyone."  
>"Peridot, how soon do you think you can get it ready?" Steven looked at Peridot with expecting eyes.  
>"Steven, I'll do my best, but you have to realize, the priority is the device to bring them back together. We're now on a strict timeline. If I can't get the device to separate the energy from them working......" Peridot looked away from Steven and at the girls. "You all understand that right? When Jasmine degrades to the stage where she's bleeding, we'll have no choice but to try to bring you all together, regardless of where the device is at in development."  
>The four girls nodded in agreement. Steven forced a smile as he looked at Peridot. "Do your best Peridot, and good luck."  
>"I will Steven. Keep the girls as comfortable as you can, contact me if Jasmine degrades to the point of no return. I'll contact you if I finish the device to transfer the energy out of them and into gems before that point."  
>Steven nodded and Peridot rushed out of the beach house and back towards her laboratory. Uncertainty gnawed at all of them, but the hope of everything ending well kept them from wallowing in despair. It was all in the hands of Peridot and the orange Pearl scientist now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter pretty solidly sets up the ending to take place, and a race against the clock. The story comes to a close next chapter.


	9. Time runs out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judgement day arrives as Jasmine's illness progresses to a critical point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick guide of the Connies, for those who don't want to constantly flip chapters and might have trouble remembering.  
> Marigold: Brilliant yellow skin, with orange hair and green eyes.  
> Veronica: Light blue skin, with dark blue hair and eyes.  
> Jasmine: Pale white skin, her hair is light grey, her eyes have grey pupils and darker grey irises  
> Zinnia: Light pink skin, darker pink hair, and bright brown eyes.

>Two full days had passed since Steven, Marigold, Jasmine, Veronica, and Zinnia had gotten the news, and the plan to transfer the gem energy from their bodies into gems was formed. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl had been informed of the situation when they came home from their mission, and had agreed to stay home until the situation was fully resolved unless it was an absolute emergency. With five lives hanging in the balance, everyone in the beach house was nervous.  
>Jasmine's condition had steadily gotten worse. Her cough became more violent, her body began to ache more, she wasn't moving around as much. Marigold, Veronica, and Zinnia watched her with worry and fear, knowing they too would begin to get like that as time went on.   
>It was now the third morning since Jasmine had fallen ill and the results had been delivered. Marigold and Veronica both woke up with aches and coughs, dread filling their bodies.   
>"Looks like we're getting sick now, Marigold." Veronica's eyes shifted as she looked at her yellow sister, then over to the worsening Jasmine, knowing that was what awaited them all the longer they stayed apart.  
>"Peridot will come through for us. I'm sure of it." Marigold spoke halfheartedly, trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Veronica.  
>Zinnia's body shook as she looked at her sisters. "Come on you three, you have to be fine, you have to hold on a little longer. I know Peridot and the orange Pearl will finish soon, we'll all be fine."  
>Jasmine's only response was a violent cough before she groaned. She wanted to throw in her own words of reassurance so badly, but her body simply refused to do what she wanted.  
>"C'mon guys, let's try to stay positive! How about we start a movie, that'll help keep occupied!" Steven suggested, hoping a distraction would take all their minds off of the looming reality that time was running out for the four girls.   
>Down near the temple door, Amethyst, Garnet, and Pearl all stood by, whispering to themselves.   
>"Yo, do you two think Peri will pull through? Jas, Nica, and Goldie don't look so great, Jas especially." Amethyst looked at Garnet and Pearl, her usual carefree attitude abandoned at the seriousness of the situation.  
>"I can't see." Garnet spoke plainly. "There are too many unknowns, too many possibilities."  
>Pearl nodded her head grimly. "If Garnet can't see the outcome, then it's likely an even split between success......and failure."  
>"Man, this sucks. I wish there was something we could do for them." Amethyst kicked her left foot against the floor in frustration.  
>"All we can do is wait and be ready to move. That much is clear to me, if we aren't here, their chances.......go down drastically." Garnet looked away from Pearl and Amethyst and towards the loft where Steven sat with the four girls.   
>Amethyst and Pearl followed Garnet's gaze, realization dawning on them. "This is going to be hard no matter what, isn't it?" Pearl spoke up.  
>A single word escaped Garnet's mouth as a reply. "Yes."  
>Man, this really does suck." Amethyst muttered under her breath, lower than the whisper the three were already speaking in.  
>Back in the loft, Steven had picked out one of Connie's favorite movies, hoping Zinnia, Marigold, Veronica, and Jasmine would all four enjoy it as much as she did.  
>Around thirty minutes into the movie, Jasmine let out a particularly violent cough. Grey blood splattered into her arm and onto the surrounding sheets, a small trickle running from the corners of her mouth.   
>Steven, Marigold, Veronica, and Zinnia looked at her in alarm. Steven thought quickly and called out to the Crystal Gems. "Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl! We need to get to Peridot NOW, Jasmine's bleeding, we're out of time!"  
>Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl all rushed up to the loft. Garnet bent down and picked up Jasmine gently in her arms. "It'll be faster if we carry the sick ones, quickly gems!" Garnet's tone was filled with urgency, she knew every moment wasted was another moment stacked against their odds.  
>Pearl lifted Veronica gently while Amethyst lifted Marigold up, much to Marigold's dismay. Zinnia clang to Steven's arm as she stood up and spoke out. "Do you think.....Peridot and the orange Pearl have finished?"  
>"I don't know Zinnia, but we've got no choice. We need to go now." Steven looked at Zinnia sympathetically before he picked her up, he could feel her body shake in his arms from her nervousness.   
>Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl all rushed out of the beach house and down the beach towards Peridot's barn lab, not caring that the orange ship the orange Pearl had arrived in was parked very close to the structure. They were too focused on what was happening to the girls in their arms.   
>Steven threw the door open and shouted out. "Peridot, please tell me you're close to finished with that device! Jasmine's coughing up grey blood, we're out of time!"  
>Peridot and the orange Pearl turned away from the table they were hunched over and stared wide eyed at the Crystal gems and the girls they were carrying. The orange Pearl spoke anxiously. "Oh no.....so soon? I thought we'd have a day or two to run some tests before we needed to use them."  
>Peridot looked at Steven nervously. "It's untested, but theoretically the devices are ready." Peridot stepped aside to give Steven a good look at what was on the table.  
>Laying on the table were four small belts, each one sharing a color with one of the girls, each one with a round gemstone sitting in a slot in the center. Next to the belts sat the four colored pyramids that had formed when the girls first separated.   
>Steven, Zinnia, Jasmine, Veronica, and Marigold eyed the pyramids warily. "Wh-why are THOSE h-here?" Zinnia stuttered out.  
>"You need to hold them while you merge back together, it's the best shot you have of this actually working." the orange Pearl spoke plainly. "I hope this does work, Earth is fascinating, but I miss my lab and Homeworld. Remind me to never dabble in separating anything apart into copies ever again."  
>"Gladly!" Steven, Zinnia, Veronica, and Marigold all spoke up in unison, surprising everyone in the room and getting the group to laugh a bit before the tone turned serious once more.   
>"Alright, set the girls onto the table gently and we'll get started." Peridot spoke evenly. Garnet placed Jasmine down as gently as she could, wiping the grey blood from her cheeks before walking away. Jasmine mouthed out a thanks to her, still too weak to really talk.  
>Pearl sat Veronica down. "Thanks Pearl, for carrying me."  
>Pearl's cheeks flushed blue. "Don't mention it, I'd do the same for Connie and the other girls."  
>Amethyst sat Marigold down on the table. Marigold breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, this is about over. See you around Ames."  
>"Yeah, I hope I see you too Goldie." Amethyst turned away, hoping everything worked as intended.  
>Steven sat Zinnia on the table and smiled. "No matter what happens, I'm glad I got to hang out with you four. I hope I see you again soon."  
>Zinnia cried as Steven let her go. "Steven......I h-hope we see y-you again too."  
>"It's been fun Steven, I look forward to beating your butt in a game when this is over!" Marigold smirked as she spoke.  
>Veronica whispered out. "I hope mom and dad are ready for what happens here today, see you again soon Steven."  
>Jasmine's face twisted into a pained expression before she managed to force a few words out. "I'm glad we spent time together. See you around." Grey blood began trickling from her mouth faster as she finished speaking.   
>Steven gave them one last smile before stepping back. Peridot and the orange Pearl began fitting the belts around the girls waists, positioning their bodies into a circle, their backs facing each other, color corresponding pyramids in their laps. Peridot and the orange Pearl then connected the belts and pyramids together with brown cables.   
>The pair of scientists stepped back as Peridot pulled out a remote. "Alright, stars hope this works, here we go!" Peridot pressed the button hard. Everyone in the room hoped for a favorable result.   
>Zinnia, Marigold, Veronica, and Jasmine's bodies began to glow in unison, the belts around their waists and the pyramids soon glowing along with them. The light grew brighter as their forms began to merge together, the individual stones beginning to glow as well. The light on the table became a huge mass before it began to settle back down and shrink, settling back into a familiar form, the light beginning to fade to reveal a singular grey pyramid, a solid brown belt, and four stones slotted in the opening, one blue, one yellow, one white, and one pink, all four glowing brilliantly. The body of the singular being stopped glowing, revealing the familiar brown skin and hair of Connie.   
>Connie opened her eyes slowly and looked around in confusion. "I.....where am I? What happened to me?" She glanced down at the pyramid in her lap and the belt around her waist, before she took the belt off and sat the pyramid and the belt onto the table and jumped off of it, standing up and stretching her limbs.   
>"Connie, you're back! Thank goodness, at least one part of this worked for sure!" Steven rushed over to Connie and gave his jam bud a big hug, tears dripping from his eyes.   
>"Can someone please explain what happened?" Connie looked at the orange Pearl, Peridot, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl in confusion.   
>"Well, it's like this." Steven proceeded to explain what had happened to her on Homeworld, the Crystal Gems, Peridot, and the orange Pearl jumping in where they could. At the end of the story, Connie looked over at the belt and the stones within.  
>"So, the four other mes, they're in the stones? How do we get them to reform?" Connie asked, glancing at the gems around her before settling back at Steven.  
>Peridot smiled as she walked over to the belt. "Theoretically, if it worked, we only need to remove the stones and wait for them to reform."  
>"Can I do the honors?" Connie looked over towards Peridot.   
>Peridot hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Okay, sure. Seems fitting that you be the one to do it. Go ahead."  
>Connie gently opened the slot on the belt and began sitting the gems out one by one, starting with the pink one, then the blue, the yellow, and finally the white.   
>Everyone looked at the stones expectantly, making sure the girls had enough room to form when they were ready.  
>An hour passed, the group had devolved into idle chatter and tinkering while they waited, before their attention was grabbed by a brilliant shining pink light as the pink stone began floating in the air, A familiar figure began to take form, with light pink skin, darker pink hair, and bright brown eyes, her gem resting on her chest. Zinnia's body floated down to the table as she fully formed, her eyes opening slowly and she looked around, catching sight of a wide eyed brown copy of herself.   
>"It....worked? It worked. It worked! I'm back, I'm me, I'm safe!" Zinnia smiled widely as she held herself tight and laughed. "Oh, I'm so glad I get to exist!"  
>Connie smiled at seeing how happy Zinnia was. "You must be Zinnia, right? I'm Connie. It's nice to meet you."  
>"It's nice to meet you too! A little strange, but still nice! Oh, thank you orange Pearl, thank you Peridot, thank you all!" Zinnia leapt up and went around giving hugs to everyone, lingering a moment longer at Steven than she did everyone else.   
>Peridot smiled widely as Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Steven, and the orange Pearl all breathed sighs of relief. "Looks like out genius prevailed, fellow scientist!" Peridot looked over to the orange Pearl and offered her a handshake.   
>The orange Pearl blushed as she grabbed Peridot's hand. "I'm really glad it did, I can't wait until the others reform, so I can tell Yellow Diamond this was a success.  
>Soon enough, the blue gem began glowing and floating in the air, taking a familiar form with light blue skin, and dark blue hair and eyes, her gem settling on her forehead. Unlike Zinnia, Veronica stayed floating in the air as she finished reforming, her levitation powers kicking in. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around the room, smiling as she whispered out. "It worked, thank the stars. It's nice to be back."   
>Connie's eyes lit up in excitement. "So cool, you can float, like Stevonnie! It's nice to meet you Veronica!"   
>Veronica focused her gaze on Connie and smiled wider. "It's nice to meet you too, Connie I assume? This is going to take some getting used to."  
>A mere minute later, the yellow gemstone began floating in the air, taking a familiar form with brilliant yellow skin, orange hair, and green eyes, her gem settling on her right palm. Her body crackled with energy a moment as she settled back down on the table, the energy fading as it left marks on the table. Marigold jumped up from the table excitedly as soon as she landed. "Yes! I knew everything would be fine, I just knew it!" She glanced over at Veronica and Zinnia "It's nice to see you both returned too." then she glanced over to Connie. "Oh boy, this is going to be weird. Hello, I'm Marigold, you must be Connie?"  
>Connie nodded at Marigold with a smile. "Yep, it's nice to meet you Marigold!"   
>With three of the girls back, the group's excitement was high, Garnet was smiling, Pearl was hugging Connie, glad to have her pupil back, Amethyst was casually talking with Zinnia, Marigold, and Veronica, and Peridot and the orange Pearl began making records of everything. It took another thirty minutes before the last stone rose off the table, grabbing everyone's attention once more as it glowed and a familiar form generated, with pale white skin, light grey hair, and eyes with grey pupils and darker grey irises. Her gem settled onto her naval and her body floated down to the table. Jasmine gave a few coughs as she reformed before she took a few deep breaths. She ran her hands along her body in disbelief. "I....I'm me? It worked? I wasn't.....too far gone?" A smile crossed her face as she looked up and spotted Zinnia, Marigold, Veronica, and Connie. "We're all back, including the original!? Oh, this is wonderful! It's so great to see you all again, and nice to meet you Connie!  
>Connie smiled at the last copy of herself. "It's nice to meet you too Jasmine."  
>"Welcome back Jasmine!" Marigold shouted out.  
>"I knew you'd come back to us." Veronica whispered out.  
>"Thank goodness, we all made it through this! We can all be together!" Zinnia bounced with excitement, the last of her worries fading away with Jasmine's return.  
>"Come on gems, let's give them a moment to themselves." Garnet spoke as she turned to the door.   
>"See you girls for some fun soon, peace!" Amethyst threw up a peace sign as she followed behind Garnet.  
>"I can't wait to get a training plan together for you all! I wonder what you're capable of now that you're gems?" Pearl pondered to herself as she left the barn.  
>"Oh man, I'm so happy you're all back! I was so worried something bad would happen!" Steven spoke excitedly, then something crossed his mind. "Wait, what will Dr. and Mr. Maheswaran say?!""   
>Connie, Zinnia, Marigold, Jasmine, and Veronica looked at each other with wide eyes before laughing. "I guess we're going to have to figure something out there, aren't we?" Connie spoke up for the group.  
>Steven pondered for a moment longer before he thought of something else. "Maybe dad can help with this?"  
\-------  
>A week had passed since Connie had returned and Zinnia, Marigold, Veronica, and Jessie had become their own beings. The Maheswarans were shocked to see all five of them together, but ultimately happy their daughter was back and the four others would have a chance at a proper life. Greg had offered to build them a new house big enough for the seven of them to live in comfortably, an offer the Maheswarans hesitated a bit on before taking it. The home had been built midway between Greg's car wash and the Big Donut, with two stories, seven bedrooms, and seven bathrooms, outfitted with gem technology to make heating it and pumping water through the house easier. The girls and Steven were really happy they lived within walking distance to each other now, and were able to hang out more often. The commute to work was hard on Priyanka and Doug, but seeing the smiles on their five daughters faces and being able to live comfortably with them all was well worth it. The orange Pearl was allowed to return to Homeworld and her lab, vowing to never again create a device that could split things apart. In the end, life had never been better for the Maheswarans, and they were glad their family had expanded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The (hopefully) interesting conclusion to the story. Yeah, I know, maybe it was a cop-out to have it actually work, but I grew attached to these four and wanted to give them a happy ending where they still existed. Having Connie, Zinnia, Jasmine, Marigold, and Veronica all living together with their parents within walking distance of Steven is just a bonus. Let's face it, Greg has money to spend, he'd help out someone in need. 
> 
> I could have turned this into chapters beyond, and I may eventually do side stories for this idea, but don't count on it. I felt like generalizing with a time skip was the best way to handle it, like the actual conversations that led to them living in Beach City weren't really needed. Let me know what you think.


End file.
